A regrettable season for Andrew Luck has officially ended.
Plagued by a series of serious injuries and a jumbled offense, Luck entered 2015 with Super Bowl expectations. He ended it with just seven starts, two wins, fifteen touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The team announced Wednesday that he would not play in the finale against the Titans. Tennessee also announced that Marcus Mariota (knee) would not play.
"Football players want to play football," Luck said, via The Indy Star. "You feel like you're letting your teammates down and letting other people down."
Luck's lacerated kidney was a massive concern for the Colts. He also suffered from some shoulder issues that contributed to an uncharacteristically poor start to the season.
Depending on how Luck feels about the situation, this year could be a blessing in disguise. It will almost inevitably lead to changes within the organization, especially after general manager Ryan Grigson stacked the roster with a slew of offensive weapons in an attempt to make a serious title run.
The team inked Andre Johnson and Frank Gore. They drafted Miami wideout Phillip Dorsett in the first round and inked T.Y. Hilton to a massive contract extension.
Luck, though, was the centerpiece.
His injury obviously will not deter the Colts from viewing him as one of football's five best quarterbacks. He will create a long line of prospective coaches should Indianapolis move on from Chuck Pagano.
The news today sets the stage for a fascinating offseason. Luck was previously in line for a deal that would make him the richest quarterback in the NFL. That deal never ended up getting done and now Luck is only guaranteed for injury through 2016. The team will likely have to work on an extension hoping that 2015 was an anomaly, just a series of unfortunate events and not an indication that he's hitting a wall.
