Andrew Luck addresses speculation Colts pressured him to retire

Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who famously retired during what should’ve been his physical peak after dealing with an onslaught of injuries,  is shooting down recent speculation that he was pushed to walk away from the game early by Colts general manager Chris Ballard.

Former Colts tight end Eric Ebron said on his podcast that Luck’s early retirement decision came from the front office after frustrations in-house that Luck was bringing in his staff and not playing through injury.

“Andrew then decides that he’s so tired of injury and he doesn’t want to do the surgery, and you know the man around there that gets on everybody’s nerves, ‘Big Drawers’ [Ballard] over there behind that desk, he tells Andrew, ‘You’re either playing this year or we’re moving on,’” Ebron said.

“Who the [expletive] would tell Andrew Luck that?” the former tight end asked. “Andrew Luck now says, ‘I’m not going to be ready, I’m tired of playing with pain. I’m going to retire.’”

However, Luck is pushing back on Ebron’s account.

“Chris and I had a wonderful partnership, especially through my decision to retire, and we remain close,” Luck wrote (via FOX 59/CBS 4). “Any notion of internal pressures that influenced my decision are without merit.”

Andrew Luck’s response to Eric Ebron’s claim Chris Ballard issued an ultimatum in 2019:
Chris and I had a wonderful partnership, especially through my decision to retire, and we remain close. Any notion of internal pressures that influenced my decision are without merit.

— Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) April 4, 2026

It’s been nearly a decade since Luck last suited up for the Colts, and the franchise is hoping that veteran Daniel Jones can be the franchise-changing quarterback the city has been missing since Luck’s retirement.