How Philip Rivers built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Philip Rivers is a retired American football quarterback who played 17 seasons in the NFL. Drafted 4th overall in 2004, he spent 16 seasons with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers after being traded by the Giants. Known for his unconventional throwing motion and competitiveness, Rivers led the Chargers to multiple playoff appearances but never reached a Super Bowl. He concluded his career with the Indianapolis Colts in 2020. Currently, Rivers is the head football coach at St. Michael Catholic High School.
In 1994, Philip Rivers made his first start in an official game in the seventh grade.
Philip Rivers helped the Chargers win their first playoff game since 1994.
The Chargers achieved their first two playoff victories since the 1994 season.
In 2000, Philip Rivers enrolled at North Carolina State University and participated in his first practice as a college quarterback in the spring.
In 2000, as a freshman, Philip Rivers led NC State to an 8-4 record and a MicronPC Bowl win. He debuted with 397 passing yards and three touchdowns against Arkansas State and earned ACC Freshman of the Year honors.
In 2001, as a sophomore, Philip Rivers passed for 2,586 yards and 16 touchdowns, leading the ACC with a 65.2 percent completion rate. NC State finished the 2001 season with a 7-4 record.
In 2002, Philip Rivers led the Wolfpack to victories in their first nine games, achieving a #10 ranking in the AP Poll, the best start in the school's history. They finished the season with a win over Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl.
During the 2003 season, Philip Rivers had eight games with over 300 passing yards and four games with over 400 passing yards, along with 29 touchdowns in the regular season. He led the ACC in passing attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns. NC State finished with a 7–5 record and qualified for a bowl game.
In 2003, Philip Rivers led NC State to a 56-26 win over Kansas in the Tangerine Bowl, throwing for a career-high 475 yards and five touchdowns. He was named ACC Player of the Year and ACC Athlete of the Year for the 2003-04 season.
In 2003, as a senior, Philip Rivers threw for 4,491 yards and 34 touchdowns in 12 games, establishing himself as the most productive and durable quarterback in ACC history.
The Gator Bowl victory in 2002, set up a remarkable year for Philip Rivers in 2003.
In August 2004, Philip Rivers signed a six-year, $40.5 million contract with the San Diego Chargers, which included $14.5 million in signing bonuses. He reported to the team during the last week of training camp and began the season as the Chargers' third quarterback option.
Expectations were high for Philip Rivers in 2006 due to the large amount of talent on the Chargers' offense and the performance of his peers from the 2004 draft.
In 2004, Philip Rivers was one of 17 quarterbacks taken in the NFL Draft, alongside Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger, all of whom had successful careers.
In 2004, Philip Rivers was selected fourth overall in the NFL draft by the New York Giants, who then traded him to the San Diego Chargers.
In 2004, despite concerns over his arm strength, Philip Rivers was drafted fourth overall by the New York Giants and then traded to the San Diego Chargers for Eli Manning and draft picks.
After the 2005 season, Drew Brees was not re-signed by the Chargers, leading to Philip Rivers being named the Chargers' starting quarterback going into the 2006 training camp.
In the Chargers' final game of the 2005 season, Philip Rivers entered the game after Drew Brees dislocated his right shoulder and completed 12 of 22 passes for 115 yards with one interception.
On September 11, 2006, Philip Rivers made his first NFL start against the Oakland Raiders, completing 8 of 11 passes, including one for a touchdown, in a 27-0 victory. After his first game, Rivers led the league in quarterback rating with 133.9.
On November 12, 2006, Philip Rivers led the Chargers to a comeback victory against the Cincinnati Bengals, throwing for 337 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-41 win after being down 28-7 at halftime.
Before the 2006 season, Football Outsiders projected that Philip Rivers would become an NFL star due to his high completion percentage in college. After just five NFL starts, Rivers was named the second best NFL quarterback under 25 years of age by Sports Illustrated.
In 2006, Philip Rivers became the starting quarterback for the Chargers, a position he held until 2019.
In 2006, Philip Rivers began a streak of consecutive regular season starts that lasted until 2020.
In 2006, Philip Rivers led several 4th quarter comebacks and achieved the league's highest 4th quarter quarterback rating.
In 2006, Philip Rivers was named the Chargers' starter going into training camp after Drew Brees was not re-signed.
In December 2014, Philip Rivers had his lowest single-month passer rating since November 2007, with a rating of 68.8. This indicates a dip in his performance towards the end of the 2014 season.
In 2007, Philip Rivers helped the Chargers turn their season around after a 1-3 start, finishing 11-5 and winning the AFC West for the second straight year. Rivers concluded the season with 3,152 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.
In 2007, Philip Rivers led the Chargers to the AFC Championship Game.
In 2007, Philip Rivers was selected to the 2007 Pro Bowl due to his performance in the prior season. The Chargers, led by Rivers, had the highest-scoring offense in the NFL.
In 2007, during the AFC Championship Game, Philip Rivers was praised for playing the entire game with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, requiring subsequent surgery. His gutsy performance was recognized as one of the NFL's Top 10 Gutsiest Performances.
On December 28, 2008, Philip Rivers set the Chargers team record for touchdown passes in a season with 34, surpassing Dan Fouts' previous record from 1981.
In 2008, Philip Rivers had a career high passer rating of 105.5
On January 3, 2009, the San Diego Chargers, led by Philip Rivers, defeated the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card Round, advancing to the AFC Divisional Playoff. Rivers set up Nate Kaeding for a game-tying field goal that would lead to overtime, where the Chargers would go on to win 23–17.
On August 24, 2009, Philip Rivers signed a six-year, $92 million contract extension with the Chargers, including approximately $38 million guaranteed.
In 2010, Philip Rivers and his wife began overseeing the Rivers of Hope Foundation, an endeavor to help foster children. The foundation raised more than $1,000,000 for the cause through football camps, a 5K Fun Run, and personal contributions from Rivers.
Entering the 2011 season, Philip Rivers was called a "better quarterback" than Dan Fouts by Nick Canepa, citing Rivers' completion rate, lower interception rate, and passer rating.
In 2011, Philip Rivers was named one of three finalists for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for his work with the Rivers of Hope Foundation, an endeavor he and his wife oversaw. The foundation supported the San Pasqual Academy, a residential education campus designed specifically for foster teens.
In 2012, Philip Rivers ended his oversight of the Rivers of Hope Foundation, which he and his wife had overseen since 2010 to help foster children. The foundation raised more than $1,000,000 for the cause through football camps, a 5K Fun Run and personal contributions from Rivers.
In 2013, Philip Rivers set an NFL record for completion percentage (83%) for a quarterback who also threw for over 400 yards. He surpassed 30,000 career yards passing and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his career.
On December 13, 2018, Philip Rivers led the Chargers back from a 14-point deficit to win the game against the Chiefs by a score of 29–28, securing their first playoff berth since 2013.
In 2014, Philip Rivers participated in a campaign to support the Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego.
In 2014, the Chargers lost their final game of the season, preventing them from qualifying for the playoffs. Philip Rivers was sacked a career-high seven times in the loss. Despite the team's failure to reach the playoffs, Rivers was voted by the Chargers as their MVP for the season after finishing with 4,286 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions.
In 2017, Philip Rivers helped lead the Chargers to a 9–7 season, marking their first winning season since 2014. Despite the improvement, the Chargers failed to make the playoffs.
On August 15, 2015, Philip Rivers and the Chargers agreed to a four-year, $84 million contract extension, securing his future with the team.
Despite the disappointing season, in 2015, Philip Rivers set career highs and franchise records with 437 pass completions on 661 pass attempts and 4,792 passing yards, which ranked second among NFL quarterbacks. He finished 11 yards short of breaking the franchise single-season passing yards record held by Fouts.
On October 13, 2016, during Week 6 of the season, Philip Rivers passed Dan Fouts to become the Chargers' all-time passing yards leader, marking a significant milestone in his career with the team.
On September 9, 2018, Philip Rivers threw for 424 yards and three touchdowns in the season-opening 38–28 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, eclipsing 400 yards in a single game for the 10th time in his career. The 424 yards was the most Rivers has thrown for in any of his season openers.
In the 2019 season, Philip Rivers had eight games with over 300 passing yards and seven total with a passer rating over 100. However, the Chargers faced numerous close losses, contributing to a challenging season.
Philip Rivers finished the 2019 season with 4,615 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions—which were the third most in the NFL. His 23 turnovers played a part in the Chargers' 2–9 record in contests decided by a touchdown or less, and the team ended with a 5–11 overall record.
Philip Rivers' tenure as the starting quarterback for the Chargers ended in 2019.
On February 10, 2020, the Chargers and Philip Rivers mutually agreed that he would not be re-signed, leading him to enter free agency. This marked the end of his long tenure with the team.
On March 21, 2020, Philip Rivers signed a one-year, $25 million deal with the Indianapolis Colts, beginning a new chapter in his NFL career.
On September 13, 2020, Philip Rivers played his first game with the Colts, finishing with 363 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions as the Colts lost 27–20 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
During the 2020 season, Philip Rivers passed Dan Marino to become fifth on the all-time passing yards list. Additionally, he ruptured his plantar plate during a game against the Green Bay Packers, requiring offseason surgery, though he continued to play with the injury.
In 2020, Philip Rivers reached the playoffs for the seventh time in his career, this time as a member of the Indianapolis Colts.
In 2020, Philip Rivers' streak of consecutive regular season starts came to an end.
On January 20, 2021, Philip Rivers announced his retirement from the NFL after seventeen seasons, stating "It's just time. It's just right." He reaffirmed his plans to become the head coach of the St. Michael Catholic High School football team in Fairhope, Alabama.
On August 26, 2021, Philip Rivers achieved his first victory as a high school football head coach. He led the St. Michael Catholic Cardinals to a 49–0 win.
Since 2021, Philip Rivers has been the head football coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama.
Four years after his initial retirement, on July 21, 2025, Philip Rivers signed a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Chargers, symbolizing his long and impactful career with the team.
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