With the Matt Ryan experiment in Indianapolis already deemed a failure, the Colts long and desperate search to replace Andrew Luck continues.
Since Luck stunned the world in 2019 and retired from the NFL at the age of 29, the Colts have attempted to fill his void with Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and most recently, Matt Ryan. With none of those options panning out, one option that remains high on their wish list is a change of heart from Luck, as unlikely as that may be.
As Indy continues to swing and miss at the quarterback position, NFL Network personality Rich Eisen recently welcomed Zak Keefer, Colts reporter for The Athletic, to his radio show to discuss the franchise’s revolving door of signal callers.
“Any reporting, any whiff, that the Colts have ever called Andrew Luck to just kick the tires and say, ‘you sure your done?’ Any time?” asked Eisen.
“Yeah, yeah they have,” Keefer said without hesitation noting that he created a podcast series over the summer to explore that very question.
“No, it’s not going to happen. He’s definitely moved on from football,” Keefer concluded. “The Colts have reached out. Absolutely they’ve called him. He lived in Indianapolis for the first three years after he retired! He was a mile from the Colts practice facility. And very much, the specter of Andrew Luck still hovers over this team.”
That specter will continue to hover over the Colts until they either find a suitable franchise quarterback or Luck reaches an age where a comeback no longer seems feasible. But for now, no matter how many times Luck makes it clear that he has no interest in playing football, fans will continue to ask, “what if?” about their former franchise quarterback who is still just 33 years old.
With quarterbacks proving it’s possible to be successful, winning MVPs and Super Bowls into their late 30s and early 40s, those hoping for a comeback will continue to focus on Luck’s age, rather than how long it’s been since he took a NFL snap. Luck’s return remains a fantasy for the Colts, but they’re still just a phone call away should the quarterback ever decide to share the dream of playing football again.
