High school football coach Philip Rivers has not ruled out coming back to the NFL

Philip Rivers is having a blast as the first-year head football coach at St. Michael Catholic High School, but the retired quarterback told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that he hasn’t shut the door on returning to the NFL for a stint late in the season.

That revelation is particularly interesting in light of the Indianapolis Colts, for whom he played last year, losing quarterback Carson Wentz to a foot injury for five to 12 weeks.

Rivers retired in January after 17 seasons in the league, the first 16 with the Chargers. He finished his career ranked fifth all time with 63,440 yards passing and 421 touchdown passes.

But did he really finish his career? Well, although he still looks to be in good shape, he said he would have some work to do if he were to return.

“I’m not quite there,” said Rivers, 39. “I’m getting back there. I wouldn’t have made weight if I had to report last week, that’s for sure. But I am getting back into the lifting and running, and shoot, I occasionally throw a ball around out here in this heat. It’s not too hard to get a good lather going.

“I’m just going to stay ready. I want to make sure I’m very clear: I’m not predicting I will play in December or January, for that matter. One, you’ve got to have somebody who wants you, and two, it’s got to be right.

“But I have not completely ruled that out.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.