Why did Andrew Luck retire?
Andrew Luck was regarded as one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL when he was drafted in 2012. The Indianapolis Colts drafted him with the first overall pick in the hopes he would replace Peyton Manning as the franchise quarterback.
Luck had a stellar rookie season, posting the most passing yards by a rookie and taking the Colts from a 2-14 record to an 11-5 record. However, he played seven seasons before surprising everyone and retiring at the age of 29. Why would he retire just as he was hitting his peak in the NFL?
Andrew Luck wanted to "live his life"
He was able to play the 2018 season, making the Pro Bowl and being named Comeback Player of the Year. He took the Colts to a 10-6 record and made it to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. He even threw a career-high 639 passes for a career-high 430 completions and 67.3 completion percentage.
Everybody expected him to continue his momentum and make the Colts a contender in 2019; but he shocked the world on August 24th, right before the season started.
"I've been stuck in this process," he said. "I haven't been able to live the life I want to live. It's taken the jot out of this game. The only way forward... is to remove myself from football... It's the hardest decision of my life."
Indianapolis fans did not take the news highly, booing him after a preseason loss to the Chicago Bears.
As bad as it was for the Colts franchise, it was one of the hardest decisions any athlete has to make, especially the young ones.
Some athletes play too long and aren't able to live out the rest of their lives comfortably. Andrew saw that in his future and decided to live his life over playing the game he cherished for years.
We need more Andrew Luck in our lives 😂
https://t.co/m4Ww11txOc
We hadn't seen him since 2019 until he made an appearance during the 2022 NCAA College Football Playoff National Championship. He was part of a special segment along with Robert Griffin III, who was drafted right after him. Luck showed up looking like a new man, appearing much more trimmed than when he was still an active player. It seems retirement may have been the right choice for him after all.