Colts bringing Philip Rivers for workout with top quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard hurt

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts are considering going old school with their top two quarterbacks injured.

Just hours after coach Shane Steichen confirmed Monday that Daniel Jones would miss the rest of this season with a torn right Achilles tendon and that backup Riley Leonard injured his right knee in Sunday's loss at Jacksonville, a person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press that 44-year-old Philip Rivers is heading to Indy for a tryout Tuesday. The person requested anonymity because an official announcement had not been made.

Rivers has not taken a snap since 2020 when he played his final NFL season with the Colts. He led Indy to the playoffs that season and they've returned to the postseason since. Rivers announced his retirement in January 2021 and has spent the past five seasons coaching St. Michael High School in Fairhope, Alabama.

Strangely, Leonard also played high school football in Fairhope.

While it's unclear how much time Rivers would need to learn the playbook or get in game shape, he did work with Steichen when they were both with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. He also worked with Indiana Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti when they were both at North Carolina State.

It's a desperate move for a team that doesn't have many options after losing three straight games and four of their last five, their playoff hopes rapidly fading away.

Jones was injured in the first half of Sunday's 36-19 loss in rainy Jacksonville. He crumpled to the ground, reaching toward his calf despite not being hit on the play. Jones then slammed his helmet into the ground before limping off the field and into the locker room. He returned to the sideline in the second half with a walking boot protecting his lower right leg.

Following the game, Steichen acknowledged the initial diagnosis was not good and that it could be season-ending. Less than 24 hours later, Steichen gave updates about both injuries.

“He'll have surgery within the week," Steichen said, referring to Jones. “Obviously, just really feel for him, just an unfortunate situation. The work he puts in, the grind, a team captain for us. One of the toughest guys I've ever been around. Just praying for a speedy recovery for him.”

It's a major blow for Jones, who resuscitated his career with an incredibly strong first eight games in his first season with Indy. Jones played so well, his name entered MVP discussion as his price tag in free agency continued to climb.

Losing Jones may prove more problematic for the Colts (8-5), who visit Seattle (10-3) next weekend before closing out the season with home games against San Francisco (9-4) and Jacksonville (9-4) and a visit to Houston (8-5).

Then came the surprise news — Leonard arrived at the team complex Monday with his own injury. He replaced Jones on Sunday, going 18 of 29 for 145 yards and one interception in his most extensive action since Notre Dame lost last year's national championship game. Steichen couldn’t say yet if Leonard would play at Seattle, but the Colts have limited options in the building.

“He came in with a knee (injury) this morning so we’re working through that right now. That's what I've got right now,” Steichen said before addressing Leonard's playing status. “Hopefully, that’s the hope. We'll see how it goes.”

If Leonard can't play, veteran Brett Rypien could be next in line even though he was signed to the practice squad in mid-October but is not yet on the active roster.

Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2023, lost the quarterback competition to Jones in training camp and has not practiced since going on injured reserve with a fractured orbital bone in mid-October.

“He's not ready yet,” Steichen said when asked about Richardson's potential return.

As for Jones, he was having a career year.

He went 8-5, going 261 of 348 for 3,101 yards, 19 TDs and eight interceptions while rushing for 164 yards and five more scores.

Jones established a new career high in completion percentage, 68.0%, and fell two wins, 105 yards and five TD passes short of posting new career bests in those categories, too. He also made 13 starts, his most since starting 16 games while leading the New York Giants to the 2022 playoffs.

But he played hurt again this year. Jones used an extra pad on his injured lower left leg in his last three starts. The Colts never confirmed reports Jones played with a broken fibula.

Steichen couldn't say whether the injured fibula had any impact on Jones' Achilles tendon.

“I don't know that,” Steichen said. “I think it's just a very, very unfortunate situation.”

Rivers was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection who finished ranks the NFL's career leaders in yards passing with 63,440, 421 touchdown passes and 12 4,000-yard seasons. He made it to the semifinal stage in his first year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame last month.

AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi also contributed to this story.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) sacks Indianapolis Colts quarterback Riley Leonard (15) in the end zone for a safety during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Riley Leonard (15) heads to the end zone for a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen celebrates a touchdown with quarterback Daniel Jones (17) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) grabs his leg after an injury during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

When Kevin Ketels bought an electric 2026 Chevrolet Blazer last year, he wasn't thinking about the cost of gas. He just thought EVs were better and “wanted to be part of the future.” Now that the Iran war is spiking prices at the pump, the Detroit man is happy he is no longer filling up his 11-year-old gas-powered SUV.

“Electricity can go up, but it won’t go up nearly as much as gas will and it won’t go up nearly as fast, either,” said Ketels, 55, an assistant professor of global supply chain management at Wayne State University.

Experts say prolonged high gas prices may drive some EV interest and sales, especially if drivers assume their electricity prices won't be affected by the crises.

But many factors influence consumer EV purchases — and electricity rates.

Drivers of gas-powered vehicles are much more vulnerable to fluctuating prices that result from global conflict than those who charge their cars. The national average for a gallon of regular gas this week was $3.57, up from $2.94 a month ago, according to AAA.

Meanwhile, “residential electricity prices are regulated and are much less volatile than gasoline prices,” said University of California, Davis economics professor Erich Muehlegger. “As a result, EV owners are largely unaffected by oil price shocks.”

But experts say electricity prices have been increasing nationally for a variety of reasons, including surging power demand from new data centers.

“This is an inflationary event,” Holt Edwards, principal in Bracewell’s Policy Resolution Group, said of the war. “Is this the driver in electricity prices? I think probably not. But it’s certainly a contributing factor.”

To what extent oil and gas conflicts could translate to the electricity sector is yet to be seen.

When it comes to the electricity an EV owner is tapping, much of the cost depends on which sources of electricity are in a local grid's power mix, experts say.

Because regulators set residential electricity prices annually, most households are sheltered from month-to-month changes in natural gas costs. Though experts say higher natural gas prices can increase the cost of generating electricity, natural gas prices haven’t risen as quickly or as much as oil prices have recently.

Those are just two of many energy sources — including coal, nuclear and renewables — that power the electric grid.

“The energy component varies depending on the energy you’re using and the price of the energy that you’re using to generate electricity,” said Pierpaolo Cazzola, an energy expert at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. “What happens is that in the U.S., the variation of the price of the energy component is smaller than it is elsewhere.”

The experts said persistent war could affect electricity bills in the future. And that is all the more reason for countries to transition to clean power, they said.

“Clean power and electrification combined is what provides the most security,” said Euan Graham, an analyst at energy think tank Ember.

Michael B. Klein, a 56-year-old software developer in Evanston, Illinois, has driven EVs for the past eight years to save on fuel costs and because of environmental concerns.

Every time electrical grid efficiency improves — especially as renewables are added — “I get that benefit no matter what,” said Klein, who drives a Chevy Bolt. “They can improve the efficiency of gas engines, but you have to get a new car in order to reap the benefit of that.”

Several experts say high gasoline prices are a strong driver of EV sales, particularly if high prices persist. Drivers also consider more gasoline-efficient hybrid vehicles during these times.

Car-shopping resource Edmunds analyzed consumer shopping data for the week starting March 2, after the Iran war had begun. They found that interest in hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery EVs accounted for 22.4% of all vehicle research activity on their site that week, up from 20.7% the previous week. Analysts also looked back at the last major nationwide fuel price surges in 2022, and they saw that consideration of electrified vehicles rose sharply then, too.

But whether this means more EV purchases depends on whether buyers expect to save not just now but in the future, experts say.

Adding to the complexity: A sudden increase in EV demand could drive up prices, Graham said.

“I think the real step change would be in whether this causes governments to shift tax, tariff policies around EVs,” Graham said. Doing so would help reduce fossil fuel dependence, he said.

Pretty much.

People who buy EVs have a “really substantial” gas savings over the life of their vehicles even without government tax credits, said Peter Zalzal, an attorney with Environmental Defense Fund.

“We’re talking about thousands and thousands of dollars” in savings, Zalzal said. “And as gas prices increase, those savings are only greater. Fuel costs are a big piece of overall vehicle costs, and increases in fuel prices have significant impacts on people.”

However, the upfront cost of a new EV is still more than that of a gasoline-powered vehicle; new EVs sold for an average of $55,300 last month, while new vehicles overall sold for an average $49,353, according to auto-buying resource Kelley Blue Book. Some experts also expressed national security concerns with EVs because China dominates significant parts of the EV supply chain.

Ketels, the EV owner and professor, said he believes EVs and renewable energy should be a strategic priority for individuals and the U.S. because they could be produced domestically “and we don’t have those fluctuations and those worries.”

But because the federal government has withdrawn many incentives for both, “it puts us at a disadvantage globally,” Ketels said. “I think it’s been a terrible mistake to withdraw these incentives and to attack the sustainable energy industry,” and the war “is just making it that much more obvious.”

Read more of AP’s climate coverage.

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An electric vehicle charges at a station Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Lincolnwood, Ill. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

An electric vehicle charges at a station Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Lincolnwood, Ill. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Electric vehicles charge at a station Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Lincolnwood, Ill. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)