It wasn’t exactly the most typical way to announce this sort but either way, the Indianapolis Colts will no longer have Andrew Luck as their quarterback.
Adam Schefter of ESPN broke the news that the 29-year-old Luck had informed Colts management sometime before Saturday night’s preseason game against the Chicago Bears.
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
Luck was on Indianapolis’ sideline for the entire game, even as news broke that he will no longer play. When shown on camera, Luck, as well as many fans in the area, were clearly emotional, for good reason. The most bizarre moment of the game came when some Colts fans started booing as Luck walked to the locker room. After the game, Luck said he was “hurt” by the backlash.
“It’s the hardest decision of my life,” Luck told reporters after the game.
Andrew Luck announces his retirement from the @NFL. https://t.co/PK9ADYBuOX
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 25, 2019
The Stanford alum went on to explain that the cycle of injuries and rehab have worn him down mentally and physically, which was ultimately the driving force behind his surprising decision.
A six-year NFL veteran, Luck leaves the game with a QB Rating of 89.5. He’s thrown for 23,671 yards on a 60.8 percent completion percentage with a 171-83 career touchdown-to-interception ratio. Indianapolis finishes with a record of 53-33 in games in which Luck started.
As for the Colts, the NFL world won’t wait for them to catch their breath, they will now go into the regular season with Jacoby Brissett as their starting quarterback.
Brissett is in his fourth NFL season after being drafted by the New England Patriots third round to the 2016 NFL Draft. Between being a replacement for Tom Brady and Luck, Brissett has 23 regular-season appearances (17 starts). His most extensive string of games came in 2017 when Luck was out with an injured shoulder and made 15 starts.
That season, Brissett completed 59.1 percent of his passes for 3,098 yards. Despite the pretty solid numbers on that front, the Colts’ offense was stagnant with Brissett under center. The team went 4-11 that season and Brissett threw just 13 touchdowns against seven interceptions.
