Jim Irsay courts Andrew Luck to return to Colts



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The Indianapolis Colts have been a competitive team in the two seasons since Andrew Luck abruptly retired from football.

But they have a hole in the game’s most important position after the considerably less surprising retirement of Philip Rivers this season. Colts owner Jim Irsay has a name in mind to replace him.

“ We would like him to be our quarterback ”

“He knows how much we would love him to be our quarterback, there’s no doubt about that,” Irsay said of Luck Wednesday, according to the Indianapolis Star.

This decision, of course, is not up to Irsay. It is Luck, who has provided no public clue that he is thinking of a return to the NFL at 31. And Irsay doesn’t count on it. He is simply stating the obvious by planting a seed.

“We know for it to work, he’s got to be the one saying, ‘You know what? I’m ready, ”Irsay continued. “I really want to create a bit of history, in unprecedented ways.”

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck shakes hands with Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay after a press conference following the NFL team pre-season football game against the Chicago Bears on Saturday, August 24, 2019 in Indianapolis.  The oft-injured star retires at 29 (AP Photo / Michael Conroy)
Jim Irsay has not hidden his hope for the return of Andrew Luck. He reminded the 31-year-old on Wednesday that the door remains open. (AP Photo / Michael Conroy)

The foals are a quarter of the competition

Following the 2019 7-9 campaign following Luck’s sudden retirement in preseason, the Colts rebounded as a force in the AFC with an 11-5 record and a playoff berth in 2020 They built a top 10 defense around one of the games of the game. top young defenseman linebacker Darius Leonard. They lined up a balanced offense in the top 10 with a 38-year-old Rivers declining behind center.

If Luck is considering a comeback, the Colts are a tantalizing opportunity.

And perhaps, most importantly when it comes to luck, they’ve built one of the best offensive lines in the game, a unit anchored by All-Pro goalie Quenton Nelson who Pro Football Focus ranked as the seventh best in the game. the league in 2020.

Would luck consider a return to the NFL?

Luck has not retreated from any animus for the Colts. He retired after six seasons because he was tired of the relentless blows his body took while playing behind generally porous protection.

“For the past four years, I’ve been in this cycle of injury, pain and rehabilitation. Injury, pain, rehabilitation, ”Luck said when announcing his retirement in 2019.“ And it’s been relentless, relentless – both in season and out of season. And I felt stuck in it, and the only way I could get out of it was to stop playing football.

The irony of the Colts who finally set up a competent line after Luck’s retirement is not lost here.

Irsay’s generous gesture towards luck

Irsay made no secret of her desire to see Luck return. He left the door wide open in 2019 with a generous gesture upon leaving Luck. The Colts allowed Luck to walk away with $ 24.8 million in bonuses that they could have fought to recoup after his unexpected retirement.

Irsay at the time referred to Michael Jordan’s decision to return to basketball less than two seasons after his abrupt retirement in 1993. He joked Wednesday about finding an “I’m back” fax from Luck.

Now he sings Luck’s praises and lets him know the door stays wide open.

No pressure.

“He’s a great Colt and he knows he can come back anytime, but at the same time we respect that he made that decision.

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