Andrew Luck Opens Up About His Sudden NFL Retirement in 2019 Preseason

"A part of my identity died."

Luck retired from the NFL in the 2019 preseason. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Andrew Luck was well on his way to becoming one of the NFL's next great quarterbacks before various injuries derailed his promising career.

The former Indianapolis Colts star dealt with ankle, abdomen, leg, and most notably shoulder ailments over his seven-year stint as a professional. A harsh reality that caused him to abruptly retire just two weeks before the start of the 2019 regular season.

Now set to serve as the general manager of the Stanford University football program, Luck is back in the spotlight, and is answering some hard-hitting questions about the end of his playing career.

"Were you a football player? Or a guy that was really good at football?" he was asked in an appearance on Tuesday's Dan Patrick Show:

"You know that's a great question and I have reflected on that," Luck began to explain before a long pause. "When I retired from the NFL, and I think I've noticed this in talking to other folks who have retired, no matter—whatever the circumstance is, it's difficult. Whether it's after college, after a short career, after a long career. It's a difficult and challenging process. "

.@dpshow: “Were you a football player or a guy who was really good at playing football?”

Former #Colts QB Andrew Luck: “Great question … There was a grieving period … because part of my identity died. And that part of me was a football player. …” —> https://t.co/BfbnmB1NvD pic.twitter.com/dLbydIio8I

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) December 3, 2024

"And there was a grieving period," he continued. "A grieving period because a part of my identity died, and that part of me was a football player. And that was a huge, huge part of me. Certainly, I was more than just a football player, just like everybody out there... of course, life goes on—and daughters, and family, and other things begin to fill that void. But you have to fill that void with something positive."

Just 29 years old at the time of his retirement, Luck left plenty of meat on the bone of his career due to being, what he described as, "stuck" in the injury rehab cycle. He also stated in a 2022 interview with ESPN's Seth Wickersham that his relationship with his wife Nicole became strained during the process—causing him to choose his marriage over playing football.

Luck finished his NFL career as a four-time Pro Bowler, the NFL's passing touchdowns leader in 2014, and due to his fight through injury, as the 2018 Comeback Player of the Year. As a rookie in 2012, he turned the Colts around from 2-14 to an 11-5 playoff team while also setting the NFL record for most passing yards in a rookie season (4,374)—a record that remains to this day.

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