Philip Rivers’ return to an NFL practice field came with an unexpected welcome, courtesy of a backup quarterback half his age with a competitive streak. The Indianapolis Colts pulled the trigger after Daniel Jones tore his Achilles, and the other backups were dealing with injuries. They added the 44-year-old to the practice squad. But his practice sessions did not go as Rivers expected.
While talking to the media, backup quarterback Riley Leonard explained how the whole thing unfolded. He said it started with a simple competition drill. And that’s where Leonard set Rivers up to fail.
“We always finished our sessions with some type of competition, whether it’s throwing to the net or something, and I used to get out there,” Leonard explained. “When it was my day to pick the competition, I would have us sprint out as fast as you can and throw on the run or something like that, and if I got him that day in particular, he sent me like a voice memo at 11 P.M. at night complaining about how I cheated and how I picked an unfair drill.”
However, in the interview, Leonard insisted the 44-year-old “still got it.” Interestingly, Rivers and Leonard have a very close relationship that few people know about.
Leonard’s parents live just five minutes from Rivers’ home. Before last season, Leonard even arranged a throwing session for his Fighting Irish teammates in Alabama. It happened in Rivers’ backyard, which honestly looks like a private training camp with a 50-yard turf field and full end zones.
Earlier this year, Rivers also spoke about Leonard on The Last Word, the Colts’ in-house podcast. He shared why he enjoyed being around the 23-year-old.
“(Leonard’s) just a real pleasant and enjoyable guy to be around. Just really humble, but really competitive and wants to just soak up all he can. You always want those young guys to be confident but also have that humility that, ‘I got a long way to go.’”
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Now Leonard is showing progress on the field. He completed 18 of 29 passes for 145 yards and an interception. What’s more, Leonard loves having Rivers around and sees him as his mentor.
Philip Rivers mentored Riley Leonard before the NFL
As mentioned, Riley Leonard trained with Philip Rivers in Alabama while working with QB Country. Back in April, Leonard talked about one of those sessions.
“We actually threw [recently],” Leonard said of Rivers. “I went over to his house. He’s got a really cool place in his backyard where he’ll throw. And I was able to throw with his younger son—who is an outstanding talent, by the way—Gunner Rivers.”
Since then, Leonard has been open about how much he looks up to Rivers. He sees the 2026 Hall of Fame semifinalist as a real mentor. And now both quarterbacks wearing the same uniform might be one of the wildest twists of this 2025 season.
Leonard also explained what stuck with him during those workouts.
“The biggest thing that I learned is just how intentional he is about every little thing. Like if we’re doing the warmup and we’re taking five-step drops, those five-step drops have to be pristine in order for them to be good enough for him…”