The Indianapolis Colts have been playing musical chairs at the quarterback position ever since quarterback Andrew Luck abruptly retired before the start of the 2019 season because of various injuries he suffered throughout his career. Luck was the number one overall pick by Indianapolis in the 2012 NFL Draft from the Stanford Cardinal.
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Former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is interviewed Friday, April 12, 2024, during the Chuckstrong Tailgate Gala at the Colts Practice Facility in Indianapolis.
This was a quarterback that many people thought was going to win at least one Super Bowl title and maybe more. Luck was the successor to Peyton Manning and Indianapolis decided to release Manning earlier that offseason and then he signed with the Denver Broncos. The Colts organization did not have the proper offensive line to protect Luck throughout his NFL career.
Former Indianapolis Colts Quarterback Andrew Luck Reveals How Long He Would Have Played In the NFL For If He Didn’t Abruptly Retire
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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) is being pressures by Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey (99) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Sept. 27, 2015. The Titans lost their home opener 35-33.
Zak Keefer of the Athletic interviewed Luck. Luck is now the general manager for Stanford. He imagined himself playing in Indianapolis, Indiana for a long time, but fell out of love with the game of football. Luck said to Keefer about wanting to play in the NFL for a long time,
“I was gonna play until I was 40 or 45.”
During his short career in the NFL, he played in 86 games. Luck completed 60.8% of his passes for 23,671 yards, 171 touchdowns, and 83 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,590 yards on 332 carries and 14 touchdowns. Luck no doubt would be a Top 5 quarterback if he was playing in today’s NFL.
The rules are much different now than when he first started in the NFL. He would no doubt be in the same category as Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. Many people thought Luck was going to win an MVP trophy as well throughout his career.
He is only 35 years old and would be near the end of his prime had he stayed in the NFL and not abruptly retired. The world will never know what else he could have accomplished if he never stepped away from the Colts organization. Luck was potentially on his way to being a hall of fame quarterback had he not retired, but maybe he will get in anyways later on.
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