Retired quarterback Philip Rivers was one of the gutsiest quarterbacks in NFL history. His impressive passing statistics put him right up there with the greatest to ever sling it. Th 6' 5" Alabama native came close to making the Super Bowl in the 2007 campaign when he took the San Diego Chargers to the AFC Championship where they fell just shy against Brady and the Patriots. Rivers courageously played the whole dat-gone ballgame with a torn ACL inspiring his teammates and fans for years to come.

A memorable 2004 draft-day swap with the Giants sent Eli Manning to New York and Rivers to San Diego where the NC State alum had to wait patiently behind Drew Brees for a couple years to finally get his opportunity to shine. Presented here is Phil's game worn helmet from his second season as Drew's backup. The snazzy navy blue Riddell helmet has been conclusively photo-matched to the fourth career NFL game Rivers saw playing time and the second game he ever threw a pass. In Week 17, with the Chargers having already locked up a playoff spot, Rivers came on in relief of Brees in the second half against Denver. He threw for 155 yards on 12-for-22 passing as the Bolts lost to the Broncos, 23-7.

The navy shell features lightning bolt logo decals on each side and "Riddell" labeled across the forehead. A "CHARGERS" neck pad along with NFL logo, USA flag and warning label decals adorn the rear. Several scuffs are visible all over the shell but remains essentially as-issued and comes equipped with its original earpads, facemask and Riddell hard-plastic chinstrap. The facemask is actually made by competitor Schutt and is labeled "CJC" to denote a 03/10/03 manufacturing date. A "17" sticker has been affixed on the interior denoting River's jersey number. Velcro is affixed just inside both earholes for the QB's in-game radio communication with the play-caller. Within the interior padding is a Riddell "01-05" sticker to denote the helmet's manufacturing date. Resolution Photomatching has provided full ResMatch paperwork for this helmet, using two key identifiers on the chinstrip and Bolt decal to match it to the aforementioned December 31, 2005, home game vs. Denver. According to their research, the helmet can also be matched to 8/4/2005 (training camp), 12/4/2005 (sidelines vs. OAK), and 12/11/2005 (sidelines vs. MIA).

This Getty image from 12/31/05 shows the rear decal alignment that can also be used for a conclusive match. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/back-up-quarterback-philip-rivers-of-the-san-diego-chargers-news-photo/56508263 

After Brees left town, Philip Rivers would go on to become the Chargers' perennial starter from 2006 through 2020, finishing as the franchises all-time leader in just about every passing category. He retired after one final season in Indianapolis with career numbers of 5277 completions (7th All-Time), 421 touchdowns (6th All-Time),  and 63,440 passing yards (6th All-Time) -- plus 9 children -- stats that should put him on the podium in Canton one day.