Philip Rivers’ impressive return has many wondering which other retired stars could do the same. It was keenly discussed on Jason and Travis Kelce’s podcast, where they ran through a host of names.
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Jason and Travis were enthralled to see Rivers return to the league at age 44 this past weekend. They viewed it as courageous, gutsy, and a reminder of what sports are all about.
The display got the Kelce brothers wondering about other former NFL stars who could practically make a return if they wanted to. Of course, it depends on a lot of factors, ranging from fitness to age, and not to mention, opportunity. But that did not stop the Kelces from listing out players, including Dan Marino and Rob Gronkowski.
“I mean, I know a guy still trying to prove his athleticism and trying to dunk,” Travis started the banter with a joke. The comment was about none other than Jason. The former center recently shared on the podcast that he wanted to pursue the challenge of trying to dunk. He said that if he had time to specifically train for it, he could do it.
But the challenge hasn’t been going well so far. “Travis, I can’t bend my elbow right now. I’ve got a loose body. I can’t even touch my head right now because I’ve got a loose body stuck in my f**king elbow joint,” Jason revealed.
It was a funny back-and-forth that felt brotherly. They then dove into which former players they could see lacing their shoes back up one day. Some of the names they brought up were pretty interesting.
The Kelce brothers started with easy names like Aaron Donald and Andrew Whitworth. They are two massive athletes who recently retired and are still in excellent shape. Give them an offseason to get into playing shape, and they could certainly hang with today’s younger players.
Then, they began listing other interesting names who have been out of the game for quite some time. “Gronk could, I think Gronk could do it,” Travis said. “He can give you a bunch of games, for sure.”
No surprise there: The tight end feeling another tight end could still play. Gronk is currently 36 years old. Many thought he retired too early when he did. Maybe he could make a return if he really wanted to.
But what about other quarterbacks like Rivers? “Could Peyton Manning come up out of there?” Jason asked. “What’s the oldest a quarterback could go? Like Kurt Warner?… I saw Dan Marino on the sidelines. What’s Dan these days?”
“Dan’s probably not even interested,” Travis joked.
This prompted Jason to look up how old Marino is. “We need to see what the oldest quarterback that could go out there and function. Dan Marino’s 64!” he added, laughing.
That is certainly a little too old to play a game in the NFL. Nobody would want to see a man of that age get injured during a game. One big hit could shatter Marino’s hip.
But it was a fun discussion between Jason and Travis. Obviously, Rivers’ return has sparked these types of conversations about age and playing in the NFL. It has also started discussions about the state of younger quarterbacks in today’s league.
After all, how can a 44-year-old who was five years into retirement be the best option for the Indianapolis Colts? Especially when they have Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick from this past year’s draft. Are rookies nowadays really that bad? Right now, that is what it feels like.
