Philip Rivers. If you have been following the NFL since 2004, then you probably already know about this loud-mouth son of a gun from North Carolina St. You probably already know about the 8x Pro-Bowler who was crowned the Comeback Player of the Year back in 2013.

Well this past Monday was a special day in the former San Diego Chargers’ career. After 17 years in this league…..Philip Rivers has officially retired.

philip rivers forever. pic.twitter.com/bgw5vMb2Sz

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) July 21, 2025

Rivers, for those of you who are unaware, was drafted with the fourth overall pick by the New York Giants in the 2004 NFL Draft. He was then immediately traded to the San Diego Chargers in the infamous Eli Manning deal, which also included three picks (2004 third, 2005 first and fifth) being sent with Rivers to the west coast.

He was an absolute legend, who posted 63440 yards (6th All-Time) and 421 TDs (6th All-Time) through 244 games. He was one of the all-time “gamers” in the history of this league, who just loved to compete every time he stepped on the field. But the best part of his game? It had to be the trash-talking. The ICONIC Philip Rivers trash-talking!

Philip Rivers trash talk never gets old 😂

🎥: @chargers pic.twitter.com/OS14LBAGEy

— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) May 9, 2024

Philip Rivers is literally always talking smack 😂 @Colts pic.twitter.com/coMncgFFgS

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) October 4, 2020

“Dagummit!”

Legendary trash talker Philip Rivers turns 40 today 😂🎈

(via @NFLFilms)pic.twitter.com/Xz15UEoaro

— ESPN (@espn) December 8, 2021

The former member of the North Carolina Wolfpack had a knack for giving us memorable moments on the mic. From all of the “Daggummets” and “Shoots” that he uttered in anger, to the jabs that he took at opposing players; Rivers showed the world that his game involved a lot more than just football.

The man had a way with words, and when he spoke…..people listened, and people enjoyed!

Unfortunately, there is one negative that comes with this legend hanging up his cleats for good. That, my friends…..is that we are all getting old. Gone are the days when Brady, Manning, Rivers, and Favre ruled the league. Back in the day, they were slinging pigskins across the most storied fields in the entire country, racking up accolades like they were participation trophies at a 6U baseball tournament.

But now……they’re taking the spots of the “old heads” that came before them. They’re securing their rightful places in the TV booths, in the random commercials every Sunday, and even in the court room for alleged scandals. (*cough* Favre *cough)

Time sure has flown ever since the “good old days” of the NFL, and now……another player of our past officially calling it quits. So to end this, I would like to say……thank you Philip Rivers. Thank you for everything you have done for the game of football. You were an inspiration to so many young football players back in the day, and you showed us how to play the game the right way…..while still having fun in the process.

Enjoy retirement, #17. But in the end, as always…..what do I know? I’m just a guy from the Midwest, with a beer and a laptop, trying to make sense of this world.