While the Indianapolis Colts were playing their third preseason game on Saturday night, it was reported that franchise quarterback Andrew Luck has informed the team he will be retiring at the age of 29.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Colts will announce the retirement on Sunday at a press conference. On the field, they will now turn to 26-year-old Jacoby Brissett as the starting quarterback for the 2019 season.
The Colts traded for Brissett just before the start of the 2017 regular season. He wound up being the starter for 15 games that year when Luck was working his way back from shoulder surgery and then suffered a setback.
That season, Brissett completed 58.8% of his passes for 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a passer rating of 81.7. He was sacked a league-high 52 times that season.
Luck’s retirement puts a huge damper on the future outlook for the Colts. Brissett is a capable quarterback, but Luck’s talent on the field is irreplaceable.
Brissett is not under contract past this season, so there is a chance the Colts sign him to an extension simply to give some security in the quarterback room as the Luck era comes to an abrupt and surprising end.
