Colts' Jim Irsay on Possible Andrew Luck Return: 'I Think That Door's Closed'

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said he believes the "door's closed" on a possible NFL return for ex-Colt quarterback Andrew Luck.

"You know, I don't think so—I really don't," Irsay told Michael Silver of NFL.com and NFL Media on Tuesday when asked if he thought Luck could potentially come back.

"I think that door's closed."

Luck took part in six NFL seasons, making four Pro Bowls and throwing for an NFL-high 40 touchdowns in 2014. His final season, in 2018, featured a career-high 67.3 percent completion rate, 39 more passing touchdowns and an AFC Divisional Round appearance for the Colts.

The 2018 season was a welcome sight for Luck, who experienced numerous injuries that forced him off the field. He sat nine games in 2015 due to numerous ailments (most notably seven with a lacerated kidney) and missed the entire 2017 season with a right shoulder injury.

However, his fantastic 2018 campaign earned the 2012 NFL draft's No. 1 overall pick the AFC Comeback Player of the Year Award. 

Unfortunately, Luck experienced a calf injury in March 2019 that developed into an ankle ailment as well two months later. The injuries persisted into training camp and then the preseason.

On Aug. 24, 2019, he stunned the NFL by retiring from the game at the age of 29, citing the "cycle" of injury, pain and rehabilitation.

He spoke with reporters that day and issued a statement to start the press conference.

Per ESPN:

"This is not an easy decision. Honestly, it's the hardest decision of my life. But it is the right decision for me. For the last four years or so, I've been in this cycle of injury, pain, rehab, injury, pain, rehab, and it's been unceasing, unrelenting, both in-season and offseason, and I felt stuck in it. The only way I see out is to no longer play football.

"I've been stuck in this process. I haven't been able to live the life I want to live. Taken the joy out of the game, and after 2016, when I played in pain and was unable to regularly practice, I made a vow to myself that I would not go down that path again. I find myself in a similar situation and the only way forward for me is to remove myself from football and this cycle that I’ve been in."

Luck has been out of the league ever since. The Colts have soldiered on, first turning to Jacoby Brissett at quarterback in 2019 before signing longtime San Diego and Los Angeles Chargers signal-caller Philip Rivers to lead the team under center.

This year's Colts team is 8-4, good enough for a first-place tie with the Tennessee Titans. They'll visit the Las Vegas Raiders next on Sunday.