In July, former quarterback Philip Rivers was asked if he could still play an NFL game, during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show.

“Oh yeah. I’m a little heavier than I was, but I could get through a game,” Rivers replied, adding with a laugh. “Now, I may need a wheelchair the next morning.”

But now the sports world is absorbing the news that Rivers, a grandfather at age 44, has signed a practice contract with the Indianapolis Colts. The team recently lost its starting quarterback, Daniel Jones, for the rest of the season, due to injury, endangering its playoff hopes.

Here are some key numbers that provide some context into Rivers’ return:

21: Years since Rivers’ first season.

“I mean, that’s pretty ridiculous to think,” says Seth Wickersham, a senior writer at ESPN. But Wickersham also says the idea of Rivers returning isn’t as wild as it sounds.

Rivers doesn’t have the speed of younger athletes, but that was never part of his game. But what Rivers does have, Wickersham says, is a very particular set of skills.

“Against, you know, all logic, sanity and reason, the NFL has kind of become an old man’s game for quarterbacks.”

For one thing, veterans like Rivers have proven they can quickly understand game situations. And today’s quarterbacks don’t get hit as much, if they stay in the pocket rather than scramble around. This season, similar circumstances allowed another 40-something quarterback, Joe Flacco, to return to the NFL to help the Cincinnati Bengals after Joe Burrow was injured.

10: Children in Philip and Tiffany Rivers’ family. On Wednesday, Rivers said they’re thrilled, nervous and a bit surprised about the idea of him playing in the NFL again.

“My 6-year-old actually asked me like 4 months ago, like, ‘Dad, why don’t you play anymore?’ ” Rivers said in a news conference. “And I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m sorry. The best you’re gonna get is me coaching on the sideline.’ “

8: Pro Bowl appearances for Rivers, who maintained elite stats while spending most of his career with the Chargers, from 2004 until 2019. (The team moved from San Diego to Los Angeles in 2017.)

5: Years of a waiting before a Hall of Fame induction. With his strong résumé, Rivers “was always going to get in on what’s called the first ballot, which is the first year that he’s eligible,” Wickersham says. If Rivers joins the active roster, his Hall of Fame candidacy would reset.

0: Number of playoff appearances by the Colts since Rivers spent the 2020 season with the team following the surprise retirement of Andrew Luck. Indianapolis reached the playoffs with Rivers, but lost to the Buffalo Bills in January 2021.

240: Consecutive regular season starts by Rivers, the second most for any quarterback. It’s a sign of both stamina and smarts, Wickersham says: “You don’t play football for that many games in a row if you’re getting hit all the time.”

14: Current Colts players that Rivers says were on the team when he was last there.

“The teammates that I was able to play with, shoot, 14 of them are still here,” he said on Wednesday. “Training room is the same. PR guys are the same. Equipment room is the same. They wanted me. I try to keep it as simple as that.”

32: Number of NFL starting quarterbacks. And during his career, not many of them could do what Rivers did — and might still do.

“There’s 16,000 starting quarterbacks in high school every year. There’s 858 in college at the highest level,” Wickersham says. “There’s 32 starters in the NFL. There’s 10 good ones and there’s three great ones, give or take, in a year.”

“There are very few guys like Philip Rivers,” he adds. “So if anyone can come off of the street and deliver a couple of wins and help this team make the playoffs, he’s one of the few guys that could do it.”

2: The number of Indianapolis star athletes who have torn their Achilles tendons this year, at key moments. First there was the Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton, knocked out of Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Months later, the Colts lost starting quarterback Daniel Jones — who had already been “playing through” a broken fibula.

“It’s just another stinging moment for Indianapolis sports,” says Samantha Horton, of member station WFYI.

For the city’s fans, she says, “I think some of them are just hopeful that … a dream of even seeing the playoffs can remain alive this year.”

For the Colts, that dream might depend on what Rivers can still do.

“It’s been heartbreaking for this to happen to Indy fans especially after the Pacers’ run,” Colts fan Grace Branson says. “The Colts were off to a great and hopeful start. I’m glad that Rivers is familiar with this offense so it gives me some hope and confidence for the rest of the season.”

WFYI’s Samantha Horton contributed to this story.

Philip Rivers has joined the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad in the wake of injuries to Daniel Jones, Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson. Leonard (knee) is questionable for NFL Week 15 against the Seattle Seahawks is uncertain, while Jones (Achilles) and Richardson (eye) are out. Brett Rypien is also on the practice squad.

Here are a dozen numbers related to the new Colts quarterback.

Philip Rivers by the numbers

• 63,440: Career passing yards for Philip Rivers, 7th most in NFL history. The Rams’ Matthew Stafford is 277 yards behind Rivers.
• 2026: Year Philip Rivers is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame (he is a semifinalist). If Rivers is signed to the active roster, that clock resets. Players must be 5 years removed from being active to be considered for the Hall.
• 1,800: Days from Jan. 9, 2021 — the last time Philip Rivers played — and Sunday, Dec. 14, when the Colts visit the Seattle Seahawks.
• 421: Career touchdown passes for Philip Rivers, 6th most in NFL history.
• 44: Philip Rivers’ age; he’s older than Colts coach Shane Steichen (40).
• 23: Age of Philip Rivers’ oldest daughter, Halle.
• 23: Age of Colts quarterback Riley Leonard.
• 17: Philip Rivers’ NFL seasons, from 2004-20.
• 10: Number of children Philip Rivers has.
• 4: 44-year-olds to start at QB in the NFL — Tom Brady, Vinny Testaverde, Warren Moon, Steve DeBerg.
• 2: Weeks removed from coaching high school football for Philip Rivers.
• 1: Number of grandchildren Philip Rivers has.

Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.

INDIANAPOLIS — Big changes are coming to the near south side of Indianapolis in the new year.

The Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis (CAMi) expansion is set to open May 1, 2026.

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Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis expansion set to open Spring 2026

The cultural campus, located in the Garfield Park and Bean Creek neighborhoods, consists of the CAMi main building, the Tube Gallery (formerly Tube Factory art space), and a public green space and art park.

“We’re looking at CAMi as art in a really broad sense. You get culinary arts, performing arts, you can a concert or a play. It’s also a space where you can have conferences,” Executive Director of Big Car Collaborative Jim Walker said.

This $7 million renovation transforms a 125-year-old former dairy barn and industrial space into a 40,000 square foot hub for art, performance, food, sound and creative enterprise.

“When we came here in 2015, before we bought this property, half the houses were vacant. These two factories were vacant,” Walker said. “It went from this sort of forgotten, somewhat falling-down houses that were boarded up to this totally different place that’s really vibrant and definitely an anchor for the south side.”

The five-acre campus also includes 18 homes for long-term and visiting resident artists.

One of those artists, Rob Funkhouser, says Big Car has been fundamentally life-changing.

“When they started this affordable housing program, I was able to buy into a situation where, as long as I care to keep working, I know that my housing costs won’t go up,” Funkhouser said. “Being able to keep cost of living low and keep costs down allow artists to focus on their medium more often.”

Funkhouser says the CAMi expansion will further enrich the neighborhood he calls home.

“This feels like we’re settling in and growing up a bit,” he said.

Garfield Park Neighbors Association President Rich Whitney agrees.

He’s excited for what the expansion will bring in 2026.

“The first ten years for GPNA has been about getting our footing, getting our neighbors involved, having events, connecting with the neighbors. This second phase is really gonna be about economic development, trying to pull people from Bean Creek and Garfield Park together,” Whitney said.

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Nico Pennisi is the In Your Community reporter for Downtown Indy. He joined WRTV in October 2022. His passion has always been telling the stories of people who often get overlooked. Share your story ideas and important issues with Nico by emailing him at nico.pennisi@wrtv.com.