On Saturday night, the NFL world was turned upside down when news broke that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was retiring.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Twitter that Luck, 29, has decided to retire and that a press conference to announce his decision would be held on Sunday.
Luck led the Colts to playoffs last season and threw for 4,593 yards, 39 TDs, and 15 interceptions during the regular season. He had missed all of the 2017 season dealing with complications from a shoulder injury. And now, after dealing with a calf injury, he has decided to walk away from the NFL.
In the wake of Luck's surprising decision to retire, Indy's status as an ascending team in the AFC will now be put on hold. That will make the Patriots' path back to the Super Bowl just a bit clearer.
There also is another connection to New England that comes from the fallout of Luck's decision. Jacoby Brissett will be the starting quarterback for the Colts. Brissett, of course, was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft before being traded to the team ahead of the 2017 season in exchange for Phillip Dorsett. Brissett served as the starter for the Colts during that season and completed 58.8 percent of his passes for 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions.
New England Patriots
Brissett will now get a chance to show that he has grown since that 2017 campaign. He also is set to hit free agency following the season, so this will be his chance to prove that he's worthy of being a franchise quarterback.
Brissett will be one of two starting quarterbacks in the NFL that backed up Tom Brady to start his career. The other is Jimmy Garoppolo, who is going to start for the San Francisco 49ers after recovering from a torn ACL last season.
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