Grandpa in the NFL: This is how many kids and grandchildren Philip Rivers has

44-year-old former Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is making an unexpected return to the NFL. Retired since 2020, Rivers has now officially joined the Colts’ practice squad after working out with the team Monday.

The Colts are dealing with a severe quarterback injury crisis. With Daniel Jones out for the season, Riley Leonard week-to-week with a knee injury, and Anthony Richardson Sr. already on Injured Reserve, Rivers becomes a potential emergency option. If Leonard can’t play this week against Seattle, Rivers could be considered to step in. His Hall of Fame eligibility would only be affected if he’s promoted to the active roster.

Rivers last played for the Colts in 2020, leading them to an 11-5 season and a wild-card berth while throwing 24 touchdowns and completing 68% of his passes. Despite losing four of their last five, the Colts remain in the AFC playoff hunt, though they face a tough remaining schedule. If Rivers starts a game, he would be one of just five quarterbacks in NFL history to start at age 44 or older. Not only that, but he’d be just the second-ever grandfather to play in the NFL. That’s right - Rivers is a grandpa.

Grandpa Rivers joins unique NFL history

Rivers is now just the second known grandfather to play in an NFL game, should he be elevated to the active roster.

Rivers’ legend as a family man has long rivaled his status as one of the most prolific passers in NFL history. He and his wife, Tiffany, are parents to 10 children, and as of late 2024, the family officially entered its next generation with the birth of their first grandchild.

His oldest daughter, Halle, born in 2002, welcomed a son last year, making Philip and Tiffany grandparents for the first time. The arrival of their grandson coincided with the tail end of a year already full of family milestones: their youngest child, Andrew, was born in October 2023.

As of late 2025, the Rivers’ 10 children are:

• Halle (2002) *mother of Rivers’ first grandchild
• Caroline (2005)
• Grace (2006)
• Gunner (2008)
• Sarah (2010)
• Peter (2011)
• Rebecca (2013)
• Clare (2015)
• Anna (2019)
• Andrew (2023)

Add them all together, and the Rivers family could practically field an entire offense, backups included.

Rivers often joked during his playing career that football was “easy compared to running a household of 12”, and his famously competitive nature appears to have carried into parenthood (and now grandparenthood).

Brett Favre: The NFL’s first active grandpa

Before Rivers, only Brett Favre held the distinction of being an active NFL player and a grandfather. In 2010, Favre’s daughter, Brittany, gave birth to a son, making him the first known grandfather to take the field in league history. Favre played that season with the Minnesota Vikings, his final year in the NFL.

The revelation was a viral storyline at the time, highlighting Favre’s longevity and cementing his reputation as one of the league’s timeless stars under center. Rivers, whose Hall of Fame case grows stronger each year, now follows in those footsteps, but with an even larger family tree behind him.

Already beloved in Indianapolis for guiding the Colts to an 11–5 season in 2020, Rivers’ unexpected comeback at age 44 is intriguing, to say the least. He impressed during his tryout, though the Colts noted he still needs work on conditioning...understandable for someone juggling 10 kids, a grandson, and high school coaching duties.

Whether he ultimately takes a snap remains uncertain. But the story itself, a grandfather, a former franchise QB, and a potential emergency starter in 2025, is already one of the most unexpected plot twists of the NFL season.

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