Eagles tried to trade up for Andrew Luck in 2012 NFL draft: Report
The Eagles could've looked very different these days.
Andrew Luck, the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback, decided to call it a career out of nowhere during the 2019 preseason. ESPN's Adam Schefter broke the 2012 Draft No.1 pick's decision to retire from the gridiron, leaving the NFL world stunned.
It's been almost five years since that day, and the former quarterback never gave any indication that he'd be willing to return to the league, citing his injuries as the reason for his sudden retirement. Luck's undeniable quality had him high in NFL circles ever since he was a draft prospect, and while the Colts were fixed on him, the offers were aggressive.
And the Eagles were ready to fight.
According to Eagles' beat writer Zach Berman, Philadelphia was looking to move up in the draft to select the Stanford quarterback. They hoped the Colts would stick to Peyton Manning as their leader and, essentially, hold an auction for the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. However, Indianapolis refused to entertain any offers.
Luck was selected with the first overall pick that year, while Peyton Manning moved to the Denver Broncos and played there for four years, winning a Super Bowl before retiring.
Philadelphia Eagles 2024 Season Outlook
They will be hoping to avoid the same disaster that happened one year ago. Fresh off a Super Bowl appearance, the team started the season with a fantastic 10-1, but since Week 13, their level dropped massively, and they weren't able to compete against the other strong teams in the NFC.
Philadelphia was one of the few teams to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs during the regular season, but the game against the San Francisco 49ers, where they were handed a heavy defeat to their biggest rivals in the NFC that season, left them in the dust.
Jalen Hurts regressed, the offense sputtered, and not even a late promotion to defensive coordinator for Matt Patricia helped matters. With the team struggling everywhere and reports out of the locker room not being positive, they were a sitting duck against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the NFC playoffs
Nick Sirianni and his revamped coaching staff will be hoping that the changes inside and outside the team will get them back to where they used to be. Hurts needs to play better and the offense needs to change its scheme, but there's enough talent on the Eagles' roster. They just need to figure it out.