Philip Rivers was a single San Francisco win away from being on a Super Bowl roster, according to Kyle Shanahan.

The St. Michael Catholic High School football coach, and eight-time Pro Bowler, would have signed with the 49ers had they made Super Bowl LVII.

“(Rivers) was prepared to (play),” Shanahan said, per the San Francisco Chronicle. “It’s stuff we talked about through the whole year. We would have seen how that was for the Super Bowl. That was the plan for most of the year.”

An AL.com call to Rivers was not immediately returned Thursday evening.

In March, Rivers told AL.com “that ship has passed” about a potential return to the NFL and downplayed what Shanahan is now claiming. Rich Eisen reported a rumor he heard at the NFL combine that Rivers was contacted by both the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers prior to the playoffs last season.

“I heard from a couple of teams just kind of checking in,” Rivers told AL.com in March. “I didn’t contact anyone, and I’m not going anywhere. I think maybe some teams, with some guys going down, may have been just looking for a contingency plan, but nothing came of it.”

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Thursday wasn’t the first time Shanahan has mentioned Rivers. In a July 25 podcast with The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, he revealed the plan.

As it turned out, the opportunity never came up. The 49ers lost 31-7 in Philadelphia after injuries to Brock Purdy and backup Josh Johnson. The Niners played most of the second half without a healthy quarterback.

According to the Chronicle, the plan was likely devised when Jimmy Garoppolo broke his foot in early December, leaving just Purdy available. Retired Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said in March that the 49ers reached out to him, but he decided he wouldn’t return to the NFL.

“Philip Rivers? No, I didn’t know that,” linebacker Fred Warner said, per The Chronicle. “That’s news to me. We didn’t go to the Super Bowl. It didn’t matter.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.