Rumors Suggest Colts QB Andrew Luck Wanted to Retire Earlier But Jim Irsay Implored Him Not to

Andrew Luck shocked the NFL world by announcing his decision to retire from football during Week 3 of the preseason. Apparently, a decision was going to come much sooner.

According to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe, Luck planned on retiring earlier in the offseason, but Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay convinced him to delay the decision.

“… A league source said Luck wanted to retire earlier in the offseason, and Irsay basically didn’t let him, imploring Luck to take as much time as possible with his rehab and his mind-set,” Volin writes.

“Luck reported for training camp, but not really — he mostly rehabbed and worked on his own with personal quarterback coach Tom House, while Jacoby Brissett took all of the reps with the starting offense and acted as the team leader. Luck held out on the decision as long as he could, but his mind was obviously made up. The fans didn’t see Luck’s retirement coming, but the Colts’ upper brass sure did.”

If true, talk about a bombshell.

Luck accumulated a bevy of injuries, many caused by a lack of offensive line provided by previous general manager Ryan Grigson. After undergoing shoulder surgery, Luck returned to form last season, leading the Colts to the AFC Divisional Round as a Wild Card team, and nabbing him the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.

While many will point to the leg issues he dealt with throughout training camp, Luck's final decision stemmed from being mentally burnt out.

Regardless of when Andrew Luck officially hung up his cleats, the Indianapolis Colts were fully prepared, as evidenced by locking in Jacoby Brissett to a two-year contract extension on Monday.