Philip Rivers’ comeback is over.

The Indianapolis Colts will start rookie Riley Leonard in their season finale against the Houston Texans, coach Shane Steichen announced Wednesday. Rivers, who came out of a nearly five-year retirement, has started the Colts’ last three games, but with Indianapolis eliminated from playoff contention, the 44-year-old’s run has come to an end.

Rivers went 0-3 as the Colts’ starter, though he played fairly well in defeat. In his abbreviated 18th season, he completed 58 of his 92 passes for 544 yards, with four touchdowns against three interceptions. Rivers was also sacked five times and fumbled twice (losing none).

“I told you guys I wouldn’t have any regrets about coming back — and I don’t,” Rivers said Sunday after the Colts’ loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. “Other than us not winning, it’s been an absolute blast for three weeks. If I’d go back and say, ‘All right, now you know everything that is going to happen. What are you going to do?’ I’d do it all again.”

Rivers added that he would support whatever decision the Colts made regarding who started in the team’s final game.

Leonard, a sixth-round pick out of Notre Dame, has appeared in four games this year. However, three of those appearances were in blowouts in which he only threw four passes. His longest stint came against Jacksonville in Week 14 after starting quarterback Daniel Jones tore his right Achilles. In relief, Leonard completed 18-of-29 passes for 145 yards and one interception. He also scored his first NFL touchdown on a 6-yard run.

“He’s done a nice job of preparing, to get better within the role that he’s been asked to have each week,” Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said of Leonard on Tuesday. “He comes into the office. He puts in a great day’s work. He takes a ton of notes. He’s got a certain sort of way he reminds himself or quizzes himself on those notes, and shoot, when he gets his opportunity … he wants to make sure he’s prepared so that his teammates can count on him.”

Leonard and Rivers shared a close bond even before they became teammates earlier this month. Rivers lives in Fairhope, Ala., which is also where Leonard’s parents reside. The two quarterbacks have regularly trained together in recent years.

“I think probably the biggest thing that I learned is just how intentional (Rivers) is about every little thing,” Leonard said after he was drafted in April. “Like, if we’re doing the warmup, and we’re taking five-step drops, those five-step drops have to be pristine in order for them to be good enough for him. … The littlest details to him are the most important in the world.”

Rivers ranks sixth and eighth all-time in passing TDs (425) and passing yards (63,984), respectively. The eight-time Pro Bowler has also started 243 consecutive games, which is the second-longest streak for a quarterback in NFL history, trailing only Hall of Famer Brett Favre (297). Rivers’ consecutive starts streak did not end during his years-long retirement, since he wasn’t on a roster, but it will end Sunday.

Rivers was a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2026 class, but after joining the Colts’ active roster, his retirement clock reset. Now, after confirming this is indeed his last season, the earliest he could be inducted is in 2031.

Rivers, the Chargers’ all-time leader in passing yards and passing TDs, plans to resume coaching football at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Ala., where his son, Gunner, is a consensus four-star prospect in the 2027 class. The Cardinals went 13-1 this season, losing in the state semifinals, before Rivers left to quarterback the Colts.

“I’ll be right back on the sideline, which I’m sure many watching probably said, ‘That’s probably where you belong,’” Rivers said after his last start.

ESPN was first to report that Leonard would start Sunday.