Remember that moment where Indianapolis Colts fans booed Andrew Luck off the field upon hearing that he was retiring from the NFL? That moment never should’ve happened.
Andrew Luck’s retirement didn’t necessarily catch the Indianapolis Colts off guard, because he was planning on doing it earlier in the 2019 offseason, but team owner Jim Irsay convinced him to delay his decision, The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin reported.
“… A league source said Luck wanted to retire earlier in the offseason, and Irsay basically didn’t let him, imploring Luck to take as much time as possible with his rehab and his mind-set,” Volin writes.
“Luck reported for training camp, but not really — he mostly rehabbed and worked on his own with personal quarterback coach Tom House, while Jacoby Brissett took all of the reps with the starting offense and acted as the team leader. Luck held out on the decision as long as he could, but his mind was obviously made up. The fans didn’t see Luck’s retirement coming, but the Colts’ upper brass sure did.”
Multiple critics blasted Luck for leaving the Colts out to dry by retiring some two weeks before the 2019 season, but the front office knew all along.
Indianapolis has moved on since Luck’s retirement, agreeing to a two-year, $30 million contract extension with Brissett, and signing another former New England Patriots quarterback, Brian Hoyer, to a three-year, $12 million deal to serve as Brissett’s backup.
