Michael Pittman Jr. Says He Was 'Shocked' When Colts Signed Philip Rivers

The NFL world was stunned when the Colts signed 44-year-old QB Philip Rivers to replace an injured Daniel Jones ... and that includes the team's top wide receiver, Michael Pittman, who told TMZ Sports he was "shocked!"

While that was his first emotion, Pittman told us there was also excitement about the move, especially since Rivers was his first quarterback after entering the league in 2020 (it was PR's last season, until now, of course).

"He really taught me everything that I learned about being a pro and about routine and everything," Pittman told Babcock.

"So I feel like there is a lot of love there. I'm excited for him. He's just like, he's fired up. He still feels like the same young guy that he was in 2020 and we'll see what transpires."

Even though the circumstances around his return aren't ideal -- after all, DJ tore his Achilles -- Pittman is still confident his team, currently 11-5, can make a push to the playoffs, and beyond.

"We still have a really talented team, we have a really good defense, we have really good offensive weapons, so we're not going to give up," he said.

"We'll look back after these four games, and maybe it works, maybe it doesn't, but we're going to give our best effort."

The question on everyone's mind, however, is how does the old man's arm look?

According to Pittman, not much has changed since the last time they shared the field.

"Philip looks like, to me, he looks like the same guy in 2020," he said.

That season -- which turned out to be his last in an NFL uniform -- Rivers threw for 4,169 yards with 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.