How Great Would Andrew Luck Have Been?
Everyone will remember August 24th, 2019… at least if you're an NFL fan.
The Colts were 10-6 the previous year and had won their division. Andrew Luck looked unstoppable at quarterback, just as everyone who had watched him since his days at Stanford predicted. If you're like me, you thought he had the potential to be just as good as Tom Brady. My dad and I watched his games at The Farm, shaking our heads in disbelief at some of the things he was able to do. However, what was obvious, though not always apparent to everyone, was just how beat up Luck truly was. His offensive line the previous year was atrocious and played a major role in the six games the Colts lost. Luck’s body was showing the wear and tear of an NFL career. Over the course of his time in the league, he had dealt with shoulder, abdomen, rib, calf, and ankle injuries—not to mention a lacerated kidney that caused him to urinate blood after a game in 2015. Luck was mentally drained from constantly having to rehab, and it all led to one of the most shocking announcements in recent NFL history.
The Shocking Retirement Announcement
On that day in 2019, Andrew Luck walked up to the podium in the press room at Lucas Oil Stadium during the Colts' Week 3 preseason game against Chicago and announced his retirement. This news sent shockwaves through the NFL. For Indianapolis, they were now without a quarterback that many believed could be the next big thing in the NFL—someone who was on track to achieve greatness. The Colts would have to turn to Jacoby Brissett, a good backup quarterback who showed he could start in the NFL, but was no Andrew Luck. With Luck’s retirement, the Colts entered a four-year-long quarterback search that finally concluded with the drafting of Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft. Since then, Richardson has been sidelined with an injury for much of his rookie year and was benched eight weeks into the 2024 season. With Richardson's benching, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at Andrew Luck’s career and consider whether it's possible that, at 35 years old, he could still be leading the Colts if he had been surrounded by a healthy offensive line.
Andrew Luck’s Career: What Could Have Been?
In Luck’s worst year when he was healthy, he threw for 3,822 yards—still a solid “on” year for many quarterbacks in the league. In his rookie year, he threw for more yards than Joe Flacco (who quarterbacked the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens that year), Eli Manning, and Aaron Rodgers. In his best year, he threw for 4,700 yards and 40 touchdowns while throwing 16 interceptions. In the year before his retirement, he threw for nearly 4,600 yards (4,593). Luck was an All-Pro in every season except for two—one of which was a year where he only played seven games.
Luck was on track to be a generational talent when he was healthy. If he had played three or four more healthy seasons—maybe even if he had been traded somewhere else—I firmly believe he would have been a Super Bowl champion. His football IQ, combined with his ability to stand in the pocket and take hits, was second to none. Every time he stepped foot on the field, you expected him to be great. He was a special quarterback during his time, and I genuinely believe that if Indianapolis had managed to keep him healthy, he could have won multiple Super Bowls in his career.
