Philip Rivers stepping back onto an NFL field has reopened a debate many thought was finished for good.
Nearly five years after walking away from the game, the 44-year-old quarterback signed with the Indianapolis Colts and immediately found himself starting in Sunday’s 18-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
While the result did not deliver a fairytale ending, Rivers‘ return alone was enough to spark renewed discussion about quarterback longevity at the highest level.
That discussion quickly turned toward Tom Brady.
Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who spent the bulk of his career alongside Brady, said Rivers‘ comeback reinforced a belief he has held for some time.
In Edelman‘s view, Brady could still compete for a Super Bowl if he ever chose to unretire under the right circumstances.
“That just confirmed to me that if Tom [unretires], Tom could still win a Super Bowl,” Edelman said on the “Games With Names” podcast on Monday. “Not for the Raiders, not with that offensive line. If you protect Tom, I don’t know about the Colts either.”
Edelman was careful to draw a distinction between ability and situation. He did not suggest Brady could step into just any roster and thrive.
Instead, he emphasized that the surrounding structure, particularly pass protection, would determine whether a comeback could succeed.
“He’d have to go to, like, not the Chiefs. They don’t have a O-line,” Edelman said. “He’d have to go to like Philadelphia, but they don’t have an O-line either. He’d have to go to a solid O-line.”
The comments underline a long-standing truth about Brady‘s career. His success was never built on mobility or improvisation.
It was rooted in timing, accuracy, and processing speed, traits that age far more gracefully than raw athleticism. For Edelman, Rivers‘ ability to return after such a long layoff served as proof that elite quarterbacks can still function if placed in the right environment.
Why Rivers’ return changed the conversation
Rivers‘ decision to come back stunned much of the league. After his final season with Indianapolis in 2020, he retired decisively and embraced life away from football.
His sudden reappearance nearly half a decade later challenged conventional thinking about how long quarterbacks can remain viable.
Even though the Colts fell short against Seattle, Rivers showed he could still operate an NFL offense after years away. That alone was enough to shift perspective for former players like Edelman, who see parallels between Rivers‘ durability and Brady‘s famously meticulous preparation.
Brady officially retired in February 2023 after a 23-year career that reshaped expectations for quarterback longevity.
He won six Super Bowls during his 20 seasons with the New England Patriots and added a seventh championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 season, capped by a Super Bowl victory in early 2021. Remarkably, even in his final year, Brady remained productive, throwing for nearly 4,700 yards at age 45.
Read the full article here
