📸 Image Credit: AP
For Brett Rypien, this week feels a bit like déjà vu — only this time, he doesn’t need face paint. Brett Rypien’s NFL journey has come full circle. As a 10-year-old, he painted his face in blue and white, cheering for the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI. Now, nearly two decades later, that young fan has become part of the team he once idolized.
“My mom sent me a picture the other day from that Super Bowl,” Rypien said. “Seeing myself covered in Colts face paint… it’s kind of wild to be here now.”
Football runs in the family. Rypien’s uncle, Mark Rypien, came out of retirement in 2001 to back up Peyton Manning, sparking Brett’s lifelong Colts fandom. “That’s why I picked the Colts,” he said. “It was my first real exposure to the NFL.”
This week, Rypien joined the Colts’ practice squad after Anthony Richardson Sr. suffered a freak orbital fracture during a pre-game warmup. The path to Indianapolis wasn’t easy: released by the Bengals, scrambling to catch a flight from San Diego, and finally arriving Wednesday after a canceled flight.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Rypien said. “But being part of a 5-1 team feels amazing. I’m ready to get to work.”
At 29, Rypien brings experience as a journeyman quarterback. Since entering the NFL in 2020, he has appeared in 11 games with four starts across Denver, the Rams, and Cincinnati. He last threw a pass in 2023 and must now quickly learn Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter and head coach Shane Steichen’s system. “It’s less about learning new plays and more about unlearning old terminology,” he explained.
Rypien will start behind rookie Riley Leonard, Daniel Jones’ current backup, but his familiarity with Jones — the two spent last season together on the Vikings’ practice squad — should ease the transition. “He’s been awesome,” Rypien said. “I’m just soaking in as much information as I can.”
Jones described Rypien as “super smart, experienced, and sharp. He’s played in multiple offenses, and I’m excited to work with him again.”
Though he no longer needs face paint to show his Colts pride, Rypien is finally living a childhood dream. From a young fan with painted cheeks to an NFL quarterback in uniform, his story is a testament to patience, persistence, and the magic of coming full circle.
