The Indianapolis Colts have built a competitive team in both seasons since Andrew Luck abruptly retired from football.
But they have a hole in the most important position in the game after Philip Rivers’ considerably less impressive retirement. Colts owner Jim Irsay has a name in mind to replace it.
‘We would love to have you as a defender’
“He knows how much we would love to have him as a defender, there is no doubt about that,” Irsay said of Luck on Wednesday, at the Indianapolis Star.
That decision, of course, is not up to Irsay. It depends on Luck, who has given no public clue that he is considering returning to the NFL at age 31. And Irsay doesn’t count on that. He’s just stating the obvious when planting a seed.
“We know that to be successful, he has to be the one who says, ‘You know what? I’m ready, ‘”Irsay continued. “I really want to do a little history, in new ways.”
Colts are within QB of competing
After the 2019 7-9 campaign, after Luck’s sudden pre-season retirement, the Colts recovered as a force in the AFC with a record 11-5 and a playoff spot in 2020. They built a defense between the top 10 around one of the games the best young defenders of linebacker Darius Leonard. They launched a balanced attack in the top 10, with Rivers in decline, 38, behind the center.
If Luck is thinking of returning, the Colts are an attractive opportunity.
And perhaps, most importantly when it comes to luck, they built one of the best offensive lines in the game, a unit anchored by All-Pro point guard Quenton Nelson that Pro Football Focus ranked as the seventh best in the league in 2020.
Would luck consider a return to the NFL?
Luck did not withdraw from the Colts. He retired after six seasons because he was tired of the constant pounding his body was playing behind generally porous protection.
“For the past four years, I have been in this cycle of injuries, pain, rehabilitation. Injuries, pain, rehabilitation, ”said Luck during his retirement announcement in 2019.“ And it’s been relentless, relentless – both in and out of season. And I felt trapped in it, and the only way to see it go out is not to play football anymore. “
The Colts’ irony finally bringing together a competent line after Luck retired does not get lost here.
Irsay’s generous gesture towards luck
Irsay did not hide the desire for Luck to return. He left the door open in 2019 with a generous gesture after Luck left. The Colts allowed Luck to take $ 24.8 million in cash bonuses that they could have struggled to recover from after their unexpected retirement.
At the time, Irsay referred to Michael Jordan’s decision to return to basketball less than two seasons after his abrupt retirement in 1993. He joked on Wednesday about watching a “I’m back” fax from Luck.
Now he is singing Luck’s praise and reporting that the door remains open.
No pressure.
“He’s an excellent Colt and he knows he can come back anytime he wants, but at the same time, we respect that he made that decision.”
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