Colts legend Andrew Luck opens up on his shocking retirement from the NFL in 2019 - "A part of my identity died"
Andrew Luck is one of the most captivating figures in NFL history. The first pick of the 2012 draft, he immediately made his mark, breaking records (his 4,374 passing yards are still the most by a rookie quarterback), reaching multiple postseasons and earning multiple All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections as well as the 2018 Comeback Player of the Year award.
That's why it was a great shock when he retired weeks before the 2019 season while still in his competitive prime. While it was attributed to injuries at the time, he was also motivated by a desire to become a better husband and father, as he revealed three years later.
Nevertheless, there's still some lingering regret five years after that fateful decision. On Tuesday's episode of "The Dan Patrick Show," Luck, now the general manager of his alma mater, Stanford, said:
"There was a grieving period because a part of my identity died, and that part of me was a football player. And that was a huge, huge part of me. Certainly, I was more than just a football player. ... But you have to fill that void with something positive."
Former Colts HC Chuck Pagano reacts to Andrew Luck's return to football as Stanford GM
At least one person is elated to see Andrew Luck return to the sport that he once excelled at: Chuck Pagano. Speaking to The CW's Indianapolis affiliate WISH 8, the former Colts coach said:
“Man, I’m so fired up for Andrew and his family. Perfect person to try to navigate this crazy world at which college football is right now with NIL, transfer portal, all these kind of things.”
The now-retired Pagano worked with Luck from 2012 to 2016. They made the playoffs in each of their first three seasons together, climaxing with an AFC championship game appearance in 2014. However, a postseason drought resulted in his firing after the 2017 season, during which his quarterback had been completely sidelined by a shoulder injury.
Luck eventually returned to the field in 2018, helping the Colts reach the playoffs yet again under Frank Reich before his abrupt retirement. Pagano, meanwhile, took that year off before reemerging as the Chicago Bears' defensive coordinator, a position he held until his retirement in 2021.