In a shocking development, quarterback Andrew Luck is retiring from the NFL and leaving the Indianapolis Colts in quarterback limbo.
Andrew Luck, the heir apparent to Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts, is retiring from the NFL after a successful career that is cut short.
Filed to ESPN: Andrew Luck has informed the Colts he is retiring from the NFL, per source. There will be a press conference Sunday to make it official, but Luck is mentally worn down, and now checking out.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 25, 2019
When healthy, Luck was one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He only played six out of a possible seven seasons due to various injuries.
Luck’s injury history will always leave fans wondering what could have been if he stayed healthy. The Stanford product was on the cusp of turning 30 and dealing with a calf injury that put his Week 1 availability in doubt.
Luck finishes his career with 23,671 yards, 171 touchdowns, and 83 interceptions. Although he brought the Colts to the playoffs four different times, Luck was never able to lift Indy past the AFC Championship Game.
This is groundbreaking news considering the timing of the decision. The Colts open their 2019 season against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 8 and now it’s all about Jacoby Brissett.
The career backup has had to take over for Luck before. When the Pro Bowler missed the entire 2017 season, Brissett played all 16 games, 15 of which he started in.
In 23 career games, Brissett has thrown for 3,500 yards, 13 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Head coach Frank Reich has no option at this point but to roll with Brissett and hope he’s the real deal. If the whole thing implodes, expect the Colts to look back to the draft for their next franchise quarterback in 2020.
In 2012, Luck was the franchise savior. Now the Colts are on the hunt once again.
