Andrew Luck Unexpectedly Retires From the NFL

Article by: Pete Caceci

Per Adam Schefter at ESPN, the Indianapolis Colts franchise QB Andrew Luck has announced his retirement from the NFL.  After making his decision, Luck sent out a message that ended speculation, “It’s been four years of this injury-rehab cycle… I can’t live the life I want to live moving forward… I feel quite exhausted and quite tired.”  Since then, fans from all over have been divided over the sudden dismissal and are wondering what his next move will be.
           
Andrew Luck was the first-round pick in the 2012 Draft as a replacement to Peyton Manning, who at that point was being released by the team after suffering injuries that severely limited his playing.  After taking the starting position, Luck would lead his team to 11 victories, the record for rookie quarterbacks drafted first overall.  He would also break the record for most passing yards in a season by a rookie, throwing 205 to bring his season total to 4,183.  The organization then gave complete trust to the young QB, as he led his team from a 2-14 record from the season before, to reaching the playoffs.
           
Following his phenomenal start in the league, Luck would repeat his winning records as a starter for the next two seasons.  In the 2014 season, he led the league in touchdowns with 40, and had a career high of 4,761 passing yards.  Unfortunately, his “luck” (no pun intended) would soon run out.  In the 2015 season, Luck would miss the first two games of the season with an injured shoulder.  After returning to the team he would be injured again during a game and would miss the rest of the season.  This stopped the Colts from making the playoffs that season with an 8-8 record.  Fortunes did not shine on Luck in 2016, as he would go 8-7 as a starter, despite throwing 4,240 yards and 31 touchdowns.  He would then have another surgery on his shoulder that had been lingering around for quite some time.
           
The healing process for the injured shoulder would halt Andrew Luck’s return for the 2017 season, forcing the Colts to use newly acquired QB Jacoby Brissett as the starter.  On November 2, the Colts ruled Luck out entirely for that season.  This would severely impact the player’s confidence in both himself and the organization, as many in the sports media had begun to call him an injury-prone player.  Despite the odds facing against him, Andrew Luck would return at the beginning of the 2018 season and would lead the team to a winning record of 10-6.  He would throw for 4,593 yards and 39 touchdowns, something that he had not accomplished for some time.  The league would recognize this triumphant return by giving Luck the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. 
           
Upon entering the 2019 season, Luck would find himself in a great spot for being a deep playoff contender.  With great offensive weapons like Marlon Mack, Eric Ebron, and T.Y. Hilton, along with having coach Frank Reich at the helm, the organization was ranked among the top five teams in the league.  Now, it seems that may be a pipedream.  Luck has been hampered by many injuries over the course of his career, but the franchise QB was on the rise and was sure to take his team back to the Super Bowl. 

I was never a big fan of the Colts, but Andrew Luck always seemed like he was the one player who never got a shot at the top.  I was hoping now with this great supporting cast that he would tear up the AFC, especially the Patriots.  Personally, I believe his wounds over the years and having the leading position for a great team have greatly intimidated him.  Everyone knows that football is a grueling sport, and those who last longer in the league typically end up with more injuries that follow for years to come.  For only being in the league for seven years, his injuries are nothing to look away from.  From what I also know, the man has just married and is expecting a child soon, so it seems he wants to be able to also spend more time with his new family.  On the other hand though, I can understand the animosity that he is getting from the fanbase, as a great starting QB just ditched them right before the season began.  He honestly could have made the decision a little bit earlier to allow the Colts the ability to move on smoothly.

All in all, I wish Andrew Luck and his family the best of luck.  This decision was not an easy one to make, and was undoubtedly one of the most controversial in NFL history.

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