"I almost hung it up" - Colts star T.Y. Hilton says he contemplated retirement in offseason
In terms of surprise preseason retirements, no one has had it worse than the Colts.
With former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and his retirement coming right before a preseason game, the Colts hold the unofficial – but least coveted – award for "most surprising retirement." Just a few years after Luck's retirement, T.Y. Hilton almost repeated history for the same team.
Colts' T.Y. Hilton almost retired in the offseason
According to NFL.com, T.Y. Hilton almost retired after coming back from neck surgery this summer.
"The first two days when I got home, I almost hung it up, I can't even lie," Hilton said. "I didn't tell nobody but the people close to me, I was close to hanging it up."
"I almost hung it up, I can't even lie... I talked to Andrew... that's probably the wrong thing to do." - TY Hilton, laughing. On how close he thought the end of his career may have been and how Andrew Luck helped. #Colts https://t.co/mx5SDUuhgE
Hilton almost fell into a trap that many NFL players slip into after an extended absence due to injury. One of Andrew Luck's main reasons for retirement was due to the long, painful rehabilitation process that kept the quarterback off the field over a number of years.
T.Y. Hilton, facing a similar situation to Andrew Luck, contacted the Colts' ex-quarterback for advice.
"I talked to Andrew (Luck), that's probably the wrong thing to do," Hilton laughed. "Nah, but me and him went out a couple times and he came over to my house, we talked. He just wanted me to be good with it, get back healthy, don't rush it, take your time and before you get back, make sure you talk to me. Other than that, he was big supportive."
After the first couple of days, Hilton started to round a corner.
"Once I got over those two to three days, I started feeling better, I started feeling (like) I could sleep," Hilton said. "And just coming back in here, that first week I came back here and just seeing those guys, I knew it was a bigger picture than just me, dealing with what I was dealing with. Just seeing those guys, bringing that smile to their face and uplifting them and just coming back, being back to practice, you could just see them this week when they found out, everybody just went crazy."
T.Y. Hilton's career has been marked by retirement rumors and instability at the quarterback position. Since his rookie season in 2012, Hilton has played alongside Andrew Luck, Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers and now Carson Wentz.
However, while the Colts suffered repeated setbacks at quarterback, they continued to keep their heads above water.
In Hilton's career, the Colts have only had two losing seasons. One could argue that Hilton is a big reason why the Colts' offense has remained productive after so many tribulations. Hilton has had five years with more than 1,000 yards and at least five touchdowns.
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Hilton is expected to come off injured reserve this week as he works his way back from a neck injury. Needless to say, his arrival could possibly come at a great time as the Colts attempt to rebound from a 1-4 start.