Was This Guy the Mystery Man for Vikings 2 Years Ago?
Slightly over two years ago, the Minnesota Vikings needed an emergency quarterback option after QB1 Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles tendon. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah ultimately landed Joshua Dobbs via low-risk trade, but before that deal materialized, head coach Kevin O’Connell said that he received bizarre text messages about the job opening.
Was Philip Rivers the Vikings’ mystery man from two years ago? His sudden return has revived speculation about that midseason quarterback inquiry.
Fast forward to 2025, and the Indianapolis Colts signed Philip Rivers out of a five-year-long retirement. One must now wonder — was Rivers the subject of O’Connell’s wild text messages in October 2023?
Vikings HC Got Weird Texts about Possible QBs in 2023; Was It Philip Rivers?
There’s some evidence there.
The O’Connell Quote from 2023
On October 29, 2023, Cousins tore his Achilles, ending his season, ending his career in Minnesota, and ruining his long-term outlook as an NFL starter. The Vikings were forced to scramble as QB2 Nick Mullens was also banged up.
A day later, combing through all quarterback contingency plans, O’Connell told reporters, “You wouldn’t believe some of the things on my cellphone I’ve received here in the last 24 hours.”
For O’Connell to issue such a bold but cryptic statement, the text messages had to be outlandish — in the ballpark of a then-42-year-old Rivers being available.
For example, implying signing a 30-year-old free agent or trading for Dobbs (which later happened), would not be bombastic. O’Connell could believe those text messages.
We now know that Rivers had at least some interest in returning to the NFL; perhaps he was the mystery option for Minnesota when Cousins went down.
What O’Connell Said This Week
Then, consider O’Connell’s quip from Wednesday.
Asked about Rivers’ unretirement, O’Connell replied, “Not surprised at all. I know for a fact he’s got a full-scale practice field at his house, and he’s got enough folks in his family to form a team if he needs to.”
Using the phrase not surprised at all appears to hint that O’Connell a) Knew all along that Rivers wanted to come back to the NFL, even at advanced age b) Just figured, based on Rivers’ personality, that the man would jump at an opportunity to sling the rock professionally one more time.
There’s a decent chance that one of his October 30, 2023, text messages was about Rivers — or from Rivers. The two know each other. O’Connell seems to know everybody.
If Not Rivers, Then Who?
Back when Cousins went down in 2023, the Cincinnati Bengals were hunting for answers after Joe Burrow’s injury, too. That’s when former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak tossed out a nugget that made everyone sit up: according to him, Minnesota’s front office called Tom Brady. While breaking down Cincinnati’s options on The Zolak and Bertrand Show, he dropped the line, “The Vikings reached out.”
The show’s panel at the time reacted with the right mix of surprise and curiosity, but the conversation didn’t linger on a full-blown Brady-to-Minnesota scenario. After batting around the idea that Brady wouldn’t entertain interest from either team, Zolak shut the door: “Brady is done.”
Zolak has called Patriots games for years and isn’t known for throwing out wild theories. His claim didn’t read like a stunt. If he said the Vikings made the call, odds are it happened.
In hindsight, it might’ve been Rivers or Brady. The clues lead to both men. Perhaps O’Connell got texts about Rivers and Brady.
Chance for an Unprecedented Story
Aside from 2023 Vikings storylines, River has a chance to accomplish the unthinkable. The man is 44 years old, looks borderline out of shape, and has been out of the sport for five years. He’s old, not lean, and could get pummeled by the modern NFL.
Still, he’s giving it a whirl, unafraid to look like a fool. Rivers has nothing left to prove if one assumes the Colts won’t win a Super Bowl this season, which eluded Rivers during the first stint of his playing career.
It’s also worth noting that his Hall of Fame clock will restart. He would have been eligible quite soon, but will have to wait five more years if he hops under center this season.
Overall, even the slightest shred of competence under center for the Colts will be a wonderful story for Rivers personally and possibly his team.
Vegas doesn’t expect much from Rivers — if he plays as soon as this Sunday — as the Colts are 14-point underdogs at the Seattle Seahawks. Rivers will face some of the league’s best defenses in the next four games — just out of coincidence.
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