Colts QB Philip Rivers has a new job after NFL — Alabama high school football coach
Colts quarterback Philip Rivers will be trading in his pads for a head coach’s whistle at an Alabama catholic school whenever he decides to retire from the NFL, according to AL.com.
“It’s a special day for me and my family really,” Rivers said. “I will probably get a little emotional. I had two childhood dreams. One was to play in the NFL, and I’m now going into my 17th season. The other was to be a high school football coach as my dad was.”
The announcement was made Friday morning at St. Michael High School in Fairhope, Alabama. This comes two months after Rivers signed a one-year contract with Indianapolis worth a guaranteed $25 million in March.
Rivers, a Decatur, Alabama native, attended Athens (Ala.) High School before attending NC State. He was the fourth overall pick of the San Diego Chargers in the 2004 NFL Draft.
“I think it is a one year at a time deal,” Rivers said during the press conference. “You get to 38 and play as long as I have … I’ve expressed publicly and the Colts have said too they hope it’s more than one year. But we take it one year at a time.”
The NFL quarterback said he still loves playing, but coaching his sons like his father, Steve Rivers, coached him was something he and his family talked about as a goal after his professional football career is over.
“My dad was my high school football coach, so I want to coach my boys and I want to coach young boys down the road, so I do know what’s next when my playing time’s over, so we did talk about it,” Philip Rivers said.
Acting athletic director Paul Knapstein will serve as the high school’s coach until Philip Rivers decides to retire from the NFL. Rivers said St. Michael “aligns with what I believe in spiritually and academically.” He has hosted multiple football camps at the high school as well.
This story was originally published May 8, 2020 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Colts QB Philip Rivers has a new job after NFL — Alabama high school football coach."