Philip Rivers' former teammate expresses one concern he has with 44-year-old's return to Colts

There is a good chance Philip Rivers sees some action on Sunday when the Indianapolis Colts take on the Seattle Seahawks in a must-win game for the AFC South team.

Rivers, 44, joined the Colts earlier this week as the team deals with a quarterback crisis. The potential Hall of Famer hasn’t played since the 2020 season, but when the Colts needed him the most, he answered the call and dove into a playbook to get game ready.

But what can any NFL fan think Rivers is going to provide for the Colts at 44? He’s changed so much since the 2020 season, as his opponents on the field. The Seahawks also have one of the best defenses in the league.

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Shawne Merriman, Rivers’ former teammate, told Fox News Digital that he expected him to play well but was concerned about one thing.

"It’s a tough week for him to get back. But I’ll tell you this, Phil’s upside was never his athleticism. It was always his competitiveness," he said. "He’s the most competitive player I’ve ever played with, that’s one. And two, it was his preparation and his mental and his knowledge of the game of football. Those two things would always got Philip to be that elite quarterback. It was that. So, it’s not gonna be that much different as far as him moving around the pocket.

"The concern I do have is you can’t replicate football without playing it. So, you can have a coach out there, I’m sure he was throwing the football around with his high school kids. I’m sure that he was working out, but you can’t replicate football. So, I think he’s gonna go out there and look good. I think he’s gonna go out there and actually look like he did five years ago."

When the rumors started that Rivers was potentially going to come to Indianapolis for a workout, Merriman said he wasn’t surprised.

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The former San Diego Chargers star said when he spoke to Rivers during Antonio Gates’ Hall of Fame induction ceremony, it didn’t feel like the quarterback was completely finished with the game.

"I wasn’t shocked. And, this is why – a couple of years ago, I put on Twitter that Phil was still ready to play and this was I think in 2023," he said. "And everybody’s like, ‘What? Well, yeah, right.’ He’s been gone out of the game I think three years at that point and then literally a week later or two, it pops up that the San Francisco 49ers, their quarterback situation with all their injuries, that they were thinking about bringing in Philip. And I said, I told you.

"I had a conversation with Philip and he didn’t say, ‘Oh, I’m coming back to play,’ but when you talked to him, it sounded like he was ready. It sounded like he was talking about the game in the present moment."

Merriman said he got together with Rivers and Drew Brees during Antonio Gates’ Hall of Fame induction ceremony and it didn’t like Rivers was exactly finished with football.

"So, I’m not surprised at all and it’s the right decision by the Indianapolis Colts."

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Family of slain Chicago officer sues city, says department ignored warnings about dangerous partner

The family of a Chicago Police officer fatally shot by her partner during a pursuit earlier this year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging the department ignored clear warning signs that the officer posed a threat to her.

The lawsuit, filed by the mother of Officer Krystal Rivera, claims the Chicago Police Department knew Officer Carlos Baker had a history of reckless behavior and violent misconduct but continued assigning him to work alongside Rivera. Rivera, 36, was shot and killed on June 5 while the pair were trying to apprehend an armed suspect.

According to the complaint, Rivera had repeatedly expressed concerns to supervisors about Baker’s behavior and ended a two-year on-again, off-again romantic relationship with him shortly before the shooting. The lawsuit states the department was aware of multiple complaints against Baker, including an allegation from a former girlfriend who accused him of threatening her with a gun inside a bar.

Rivera’s mother, Yolanda, said her daughter never should have feared the person assigned to watch her back. "Krystal understood the dangers of this job. She accepted the risk that came with policing. What she never should have had to fear was her own partner," she said. "That betrayal cost Krystal’s life."

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The lawsuit alleges Rivera and Baker pulled over a motorist suspected of having a weapon, prompting a foot chase that ended outside an apartment building. Baker kicked in the door and fired his weapon at the suspect but struck Rivera in the back instead.

Family attorney Antonio Romanucci said Baker then fled to another floor rather than call for help or provide any first aid. 

"He did not attempt even the most basic first aid step of applying pressure on her wound… Baker left Krystal there on the floor, literally gasping. Krystal radioed in her own shooting," Romanucci said.

The lawsuit also accuses the department of filing misleading reports to state regulators that suggested the shots came from a barricaded suspect rather than from Baker.

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Romanucci said Baker had 11 misconduct complaints in three years, placing him among the small percentage of officers with the worst disciplinary records. In one 2022 incident, Baker allegedly brandished a gun at an ex-girlfriend inside a tavern — a case reviewed by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which has not issued a formal determination.

Rivera joined CPD in 2021 and was paired with Baker in early 2023. The two began a romantic relationship that summer, but Rivera later asked for a new partner over what the lawsuit describes as Baker’s "prior reckless conduct." Though the request was granted, the two were reassigned together last year after Rivera transferred into a tactical team.

According to the complaint, Rivera ended the relationship for good last winter after discovering Baker had a live-in girlfriend. She told colleagues she feared Baker’s "negative and hostile reaction" and said he continued showing up uninvited at her home as late as June 4 — one day before the shooting.

Romanucci argued Baker should never have remained in uniform. "He never should have gotten past his probationary period. He was not fit to police our communities, let alone carry a gun under the color of law," he said. "The decision CPD made to keep Carlos Baker on the force was not costly. It was fatal."

The Cook County State’s Attorney previously declined to prosecute Baker, but Rivera’s family hopes new information uncovered during the lawsuit will lead prosecutors to reconsider.

Rivera, described by colleagues as a dedicated mentor and rising officer, was in her fourth year with the department.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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