Why are we sitting here talking about Andrew Luck, the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback who hasn’t play a down in the NFL since 2018?
Well, because, per a report, a team kicked the tires on the retired QB to see if he had that itch to get back into the league. This is a thing that happens in the NFL from time to time, especially when there’s a dearth of truly elite QBs beyond the top tier. Some veteran gets a phone call, either says “yes” or “no thanks” and we all move on.
But this one has escalated a bit. Let’s explain what we know:
This all started with an ESPN article on Sam Howell
Buried within an ESPN post from John Keim about the Washington Commanders QB situation is this little nugget:
That’s why the Commanders weren’t tempted to pick Kentucky’s Will Levis when he was available with the 16th pick, opting instead for cornerback Emmanuel Forbes. One team source said the only quarterback who would have tempted them was Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker — but only if he was there when they selected in the third round.
Even so, they didn’t feel the same urgency they did last offseason, when they called every team that might have a quarterback available. They even phoned about retired Andrew Luck, just in case.
But, weirdly, that wasn't new information!
From a Keim ESPN article in 2022:
At one point they even wondered: Would Andrew Luck, the retired former Colt, want to play again? That went nowhere. But whether it was realistic or a Lloyd Christmas “So you’re telling me there’s a chance” scenario, they wanted to make sure every “i” was dotted.
The problem is: Luck is still technically under contract with the Colts
Under NFL rules, a player’s contract “tolls” when they retire, meaning that the player’s rights are retained by the team that held his contract at the time of his retirement.
Luck retired with three years left on the six-year, $140 million extension he signed in Indianapolis during the summer of 2016, and the Colts famously declined to pursue any of the signing bonus the quarterback was originally paid.
Because of that, the Colts hold Luck’s rights, and the NFL’s anti-tampering policy makes it clear that “no club, nor any person employed by or otherwise affiliated with a club, is permitted to tamper with a player who is under contract to or whose exclusive negotiating rights are held by another club.”
Which leads us to Jim Irsay getting involved
This was a tweet from the Colts owner on Sunday:
If any NFL Team,attempted to contact Andrew Luck (or any associate of him)… to play for their Franchise – it would be a clear Violation of the League’s Tampering Policy.
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) May 8, 2023
Could this lead to some action being taken by Irsay?
This is a reference to a mention of the Commanders reaching out in 2022 to a third party to assess Andrew Luck’s interest in coming out of retirement, per @john_keim. It obviously went nowhere. He’s done playing.
But the Colts own his rights and might pursue it, I’m told. https://t.co/WRaGRrIzqw
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) May 8, 2023
Per ESPN’s Stephen Holder: “A Colts source said the team is unclear about the nature of the conversations, but it is seeking to learn more about what exactly transpired and whether any tampering occurred.”
