Philip Rivers’ comeback is getting closer and closer. The Indianapolis Colts have named the 44-year-old to the roster for the game against the Seattle Seahawks. But for Rivers, this is not all good news.

Philip Rivers has taken the next, possibly decisive step toward his NFL comeback. As the Indianapolis Colts officially announced on Saturday, the 44-year-old will be officially promoted to the 53-man roster.

This means that nothing stands in the way of the veteran playing in Sunday’s difficult away game against the Seattle Seahawks. According to NFL Network, it has already been decided that Rivers will start the game. After Daniel Jones tore his Achilles tendon, Rivers was initially signed by the Colts only for the practice squad, so he had to be added to the roster for the game. However, this also means that the eight-time Pro Bowler will not be inducted into the Hall of Fame next year. Rivers had already made it to the semifinals of the selection process in the current cycle, but will now be removed. The reason: An NFL player must have retired for at least five years before being eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame. However, this period is completely reset as soon as a player rejoins a team’s active roster, as is now the case with Rivers.

Rivers cannot become a Hall of Famer until 2031

The five-year waiting period now starts over for him, which means the long-time Chargers pro cannot be inducted into the Hall of Fame until 2031 at the earliest – unless he rejoins an official NFL roster in the coming seasons.

In addition to Rivers, rookie Riley Leonard, who was able to train fully all week despite knee problems, and Brett Rypien, who was also promoted from the practice squad, are available at quarterback in Seattle. Head Coach Shane Steichen left it open on Friday as to who would play, but the tendency was already clearly toward Rivers.

“I’d say it was pretty good,” Steichen said of Rivers’ training sessions this week: “For someone who hasn’t been around for five years, it was pretty impressive to see how he trained this week.”

The Colts slipped in the AFC playoff race after three consecutive losses. With a record of 8-5, they are one win behind the Jacksonville Jaguars and tied with the Houston Texans in their own AFC South division. They still have to play both rivals in the second leg.