Phillip Rivers returns. That’s insurance to his family
A prediction for No. 99. Time for the single wing
Good morning, all! I hope your Tuesday is off to a terrific start.
Phillip Rivers was the talk of the NFL on Sunday. The 44-year-old QB came out of retirement on Sunday, playing in his first game since Dec. 2020. He almost led the Indianapolis Colts to victory over the Seattle Seahawks too. His return may have cost him early induction into the football Hall of Fame - a player must be retired five years before being considered for eligibility - but it certainly was beneficial to his family. Rivers and family members now get to stay on the NFL’s lucrative health insurance plan for another five years. The Hall of Fame can wait.
According to The Athletic, under the NFL’s agreement with the NFLPA, a player and his family receive health insurance for five years after a player’s retirement. That arrangement for Rivers was set to expire in August of 2026. Now that Rivers has returned, that health insurance policy, which also includes dental, kicks in for another five years, after Rivers stops playing. That means he, his wife Tiffany and their 10 children continue to receive their insurance via the NFL, until at least August of 2031.
Rivers’ 10 children will remain on the policy, until they turn 26. Even though Rivers is a grandfather, his oldest child is 23. That means she is covered for another three years.
Rivers has earned $244.2M in his career, but these days every dollar counts. Now he need not have to worry about paying for health insurance, until the next decade.
Incidentally, the Colts have named Rivers the starting QB for next Monday night’s game against San Francisco.
Here are some other thoughts, as I try to determine if it’s the Raiders or the Giants who are the worst NFL team:
Sometimes the best laid plans of mice and men really do go astray. The NFL thought it was providing Netflix with two great games on Christmas Day in exchange for $150M as part of a three-year deal. With the collapse of the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys, however, Christmas Day 2026 will be a dud for the world’s most popular sports league. The first Netflix game, pitting Dallas vs. Washington will feature two teams not going to the playoffs. Lions vs. Vikings will also have little significance, as Detroit’s playoff hopes are hanging by a thread and the Vikings are going home. The night game on Prime features the Denver Broncos vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. The only importance of that game is whether the Broncos can remain the AFC’s number one seed. The Chiefs are going home after Week 18, and their QB Patrick Mahomes, with a torn ACL, may not return until the middle of next season.
The laugh you hear may be emanating from the NBA, which for years had the Christmas Day sporting landscape to itself, until the NFL highjacked the action last year.
It’s amazing what happens, when you are out shopping at Christmas time. I happened to be in a Walmart on Monday, not shopping for Christmas gifts, by the way, wearing by New York Yankees ski cap. An elderly woman stopped me and asked: “New York Yankees cap?” “Yes,” I replied. “How’s number 99 doing?” she asked. I said, “He won the MVP again this season.” And she emphatically responded: “He’s going to win it next year too!”
In case you are wondering, Jeff Kent, newly elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, has a son playing baseball in the Yankees system. Kaeden Kent was a third round pick by New York in 2025 and plays shortstop.
In case you are wondering, the New England Patriots had won their previous 120 home games, when leading by at least 17 points, until they blew a 21-point lead on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
You do have to love the Boston media though, especially the Boston Globe. They had the Patriots all but going to the Super Bowl, before Sunday’s game against the Bills. Now they are throwing them under the bus. My take? The road to the Super Bowl runs through Denver or Buffalo, not Foxboro.
The more you read the more you hear Mike McCarthy will end up as the coach of the Tennessee Titans. And you still hear the Steelers and Mike Tomlin will cut bait - even though Tomlin still has another two years left on his contract after this season - and that Tomlin will end up as the next coach of the Giants.
Here is something to ponder. If John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens call it splitsville, do not rule out Harbaugh as the next Giants coach. Harbaugh has been the Ravens coach since 2008. Tomlin has been the Steelers coach since 2007. A change of scenery might do either one good. One thing is certain, the Giants have to get their next coaching hire right.
How bad have the New York Giants become? This was the view of MetLife Stadium, right before kick-off at Sunday’s game against Washington. There were more empty seats than people.
I guess feeling overshadowed by the Giants continuous firing of assistant coaches, the Jets had to make a move, so on Monday they gave the pink slip to DC Steve Wilks. Of course, losing 48-20 to Jacksonville might have had something to do with it.
The Jets have no idea who is starting at QB against the Saints on Sunday. Heck. I say go with the single-wing formation and take your chances.
It’s official. Mets owner Steve Cohen has finally cleared the final hurdle in his plan to build a $8B casino and Hard Rock Cafe next to Citi Field. Now, if he could only get his team to make the playoffs. All kidding aside, I do believe the Mets will make a big move, perhaps before Christmas.
That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. As always, thank you for being a subscriber and have a great day.
DAN