Philip Rivers came out of retirement earlier this week to try to help the Indianapolis Colts make the playoffs after their top three quarterbacks suffered injuries in recent weeks. It’s been five years since Rivers last played in the NFL, which, surprisingly enough, is not the longest hiatus between a retirement and a comeback in league history.

Bronko Nagurski, who is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was retired for six years before he made a comeback in 1943 to play for Chicago when the Bears’ roster was decimated by players who were drafted into service during World War II.

Rivers, a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year, is the latest in a long line of all-time greats to come out of retirement.

Tom Brady’s first retirement lasted only a few weeks, while

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