Colts GM Chris Ballard Slams Door on Any Talk of Andrew Luck Comeback

When Andrew Luck suddenly retired from the NFL just a week before the start of the 2019 regular season, it sent shockwaves throughout the league. With the 30-year-old Luck hanging up his cleats, No. 2 man Jacoby Brissett ascended to the starting role, a transition that went rather smoothly to begin with before eventually trending downward.

With Brissett under center, the team mustered just seven wins this season, missing the playoffs despite starting the year 5-2. Given Brissett's struggles in Luck's stead, there has been a lot of talk regarding the former No. 1 pick potentially coming out of retirement next season. Unfortunately for hopeful Colts fans, the subject has been squashed by the team's GM, Chris Ballard.

#Colts GM Chris Ballard about a potential Andrew Luck return: “Do I talk to Andrew? Yes, I do. ... Andrew's retired, and I think we all need to accept that and move forward.”
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) January 2, 2020

Ballard was extremely blunt when the topic of Luck's return came up Thursday. As he stated, "Andrew's retired, and I think we all need to accept that and move forward." This brutally honest declaration from Ballard is a real bummer, as the potential of Luck returning to lead Indianapolis back to the promised land would make for some terrific drama. Storybook endings are elusive in reality, however, and it appears at this point that Luck just won't be returning to the gridiron.

The day he took the job, Chris Ballard said it couldn't just be about one guy — it couldn't only be about the QB. Today, he was asked to weigh that thought after the Colts faded in 2019 without Andrew Luck: pic.twitter.com/NiTweTYP25
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) January 2, 2020

Someday, perhaps Andrew Luck will rediscover his passion for football and return to the NFL. But that day will not come anytime soon, an inconvenient truth for Colts fans.