Andrew Luck made headlines at the start of the NFL season by abruptly announcing his retirement from the sport and leading the Indianapolis Colts. But his decision prompted a debate about his future and the reasons why he decided to walk away in the first place. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is attempting to put out a spin that many wouldn’t have seen coming on the Luck story now.
“I have absolutely nothing to base this on whatsoever, but I continue to have a weird feeling that Andrew Luck could be the Week One 2020 starting quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders,” Florio wrote on social media in a tweet that has since gone viral.
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The idea that Luck would return after his emotional exit and concern for his well-being is far fetched to say the least. As Fansided points out, it would take the pieces falling into place perfectly for the young quarterback to even dream of coming out of retirement.
One of the biggest reasons Luck decided to retire was his history of injuries and the constant rehab that killed his love for football.
“It’s been unrelenting. I felt stuck in it,” Luck said during his retirement press conference. “The only way I see out is to no longer play football. It’s taken my joy of this game away.”
Now the Raiders could be open to sweetening any pot for Luck if his name is truly on the list of possibilities. Quarterback Derek Carr, once thought to be a solid lock as a franchise star signed a $125 million contract in 2017 that extended him five years. That said, it is reportedly very easy for the Raiders to get out of their contract with Carr.
This would free the team for a new quarterback heading into their first season in Las Vegas. Fansided opts for a comparison of Luck with former Green Bay Packers icon Brett Favre and his wishy-washy retirement back in 2008. The difference is the reasoning for each player’s retirement. It isn’t one size fits all for these players and the game is far different than it was during the end of Favre’s career.
The Raiders are currently at 6-6 in their division and trail the Kansas City Chiefs for the division title, and since hiring former coach and ESPN personality Jon Gruden as head coach, the team has made more headlines for personnel strife than the play on the field.
A big shift heading into their new home in Las Vegas could be a spark for the team and Gruden. The drama surrounding Khalil Mack and Antonio Brown could be a distant thought if this type of shakeup could be made.
However, Luck has not shown any interest in returning to the game after his emotional retirement. Fansided even made it clear that the former Colts star now pictures himself teaching history in school over throwing a football. It also can’t be discounted that Luck just recently welcomed a new baby into the world with his wife, Nicole. That makes any sale very, very tough.
