Over four years after Philip Rivers announced his retirement from the NFL, he will now officially retire as a Charger. Rivers was the No. 4 pick by the Chargers in 2004, and spent 16 of his 17 NFL seasons with the Chargers before wrapping up his career with the Colts in 2020. Now, he's signed a one-day contract with the Chargers to officially finish his career with the team where it began.

Rivers announced that he is retiring a Charger in a video posted by the team's social media account.

"I'm Philip Rivers, quarterback, and I'm retiring a Charger," Rivers said. "I think gratitude is really the first thing that comes to mind. There were so many highlights and fun Sundays, so many, but what I miss and am most appreciative and thankful for are those relationships."

The video displayed a montage of some of Rivers's best highlights and moments with the team while audio of the QB reflecting on his career played on top. Toward the end of the clip, Rivers was sweetly surprised by several of his former offensive linemen, including Jeromey Clary, Marcus McNeill, Nick Hardwick, and Kris Dielman.

Rivers finished his tenure with the Chargers as an eight-time Pro Bowler that threw 4,908 passes for 59,271 and 397 touchdowns. He is the franchise record-holder in all three categories.

"It's really, in the past handful of years, been my desire [to retire] as a Charger. It was more so the timing," Rivers told Chargers.com. "Gratitude is the first thing that comes to mind. Just thankful. Thankful for my time there as a Charger."


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Philip Rivers to Sign One-Day Contract, Officially Retire As a Charger.

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