Andrew Luck - Pro Football Rumors

Irsay Hopes To Get Andrew Luck Extension Done By July 4

March 22nd, 2016 at 12:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking today about a potential contract extension for star quarterback Andrew Luck, Colts owner Jim Irsay mentioned July 4 as a target date, tweets Kevin Bowen of Colts.com. According to Bowen though, there’s no real urgency or a hard deadline by which the team wants to have something done.

Luck, the first overall pick in the 2012 draft, earned a Pro Bowl nod and led the Colts to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth in each of his first three seasons in the league. However, injuries derailed his 2015 season. Luck was limited to seven games, and completed just 55.3% of his passes in those contests, with 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Colts went 2-5 in Luck’s starts.

Despite the down year, the Colts and Luck are both enthusiastic about figuring out a longer-term arrangement. The standout signal-caller is set to play on his fifth-year option in 2016 if the two sides don’t agree on an extension, but there’s an expectation that something will get done before the season begins, and it could make Luck the highest-paid QB in the league.

It’s not clear why Irsay targeted July 4 as the date by which he would like to have Luck locked up. Franchised players have until July 15 to agree to multiyear extensions with their current teams, but that deadline doesn’t apply to Luck, who wouldn’t be eligible for the franchise tag until 2017. Perhaps Irsay just wants to enjoy a stress-free Fourth of July knowing that his star QB is under contract for the long term.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

QB Rumors: RGIII, Foles, Romo, Luck

March 4th, 2016 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

At least 10 teams are giving Washington signal-caller Robert Griffin III “a hard look,” sources tell Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report. Griffin is a strong candidate to be either traded or released in the coming days, and there are teams around the league who feel like they can remake RGIII both on and off the field, according to Freeman.

While no team will want to trade for Griffin and pay his $16MM+ salary for 2016, that figure remains non-guaranteed until next Wednesday, so there could be resolution on the quarterback’s situation soon. As Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com tweets, Washington wouldn’t want more than a conditional late-round pick in a trade, so if a team can negotiate a reworked contract as part of a deal, it could be worth parting with that pick to get a leg up on all the clubs waiting for RGIII to be released.

As we wait to see what happens with the former No. 2 overall pick, let’s round up a few more Friday items on quarterbacks around the NFL, including the guy who was selected before Griffin in 2012…

With the Rams currently counting on Case Keenum to be their starting quarterback, Nick Foles could almost certainly be had in the right trade. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggests (via Twitter) that the Dolphins, the Cowboys, and Washington would be among the teams with interest if Foles were available. It’s hard to imagine any of those teams giving up anything of value for Foles though.
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who will go under the knife next week, intends to undergo a “Mumford procedure” on his collarbone, rather than having a plate inserted, writes David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. Mike Fisher of CBSDFW.com had reported that Romo would undergo the plate insertion, which involves a set of screws and a plate being inserted to protect the bone. However, Moore says that while the plate remains an option, the plan for Romo is the Mumford procedure, which would involve shaving off or removing a portion of the distal clavicle.
Andrew Luck‘s looming extension will change the Colts‘ cap outlook drastically going forward, but the team has been anticipating that jump in its quarterback salary for several years. Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star takes a closer look at how the Colts are approaching the deal, and how it will affect the rest of the team’s offseason plans.

Combine Updates: Packers, Colts, Rams

February 25th, 2016 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The scouting combine continues today in Indianapolis, and so have the press conferences and media scrums with head coaches and general managers around the NFL.

Here are some highlights from a few of those conversations, sorted by team:

Green Bay Packers:

Despite the fact that the Packers aren’t generally major players in free agency, GM Ted Thompson said his team isn’t averse to exploring the market. With that in mind, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) says Green Bay will likely be in the mix for a complementary wide receiver.
Asked whether Thompson listens to him if he wants a certain player, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said, “Everybody wants something. Someone has to say no. That’s why you have a chain of command. Someone has to be the bad guy” (link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
McCarthy also said today that he’s “disappointed” in Mike Pennel‘s four-game suspension, according to Demovsky. “Mike’s one of our guys, but we’ll see him through this,” McCarthy said. “He’s a young player who really came on in the second half of the season.”

Indianapolis Colts:

Colts head coach Chuck Pagano didn’t go into specifics on personnel moves today, but he didn’t pull punches when discussing the team’s pass rush, tweets Stephen Holder of ESPN.com. Pagano conveyed that it hasn’t been good enough, and needs to be upgraded.
GM Ryan Grigson also weighed in on the idea of adding pass rushers, suggesting that the draft isn’t as deep at that spot as he’d like, and acknowledging that there will be some financial constraints in free agency (Twitter link via Holder).
Asked about Andrew Luck‘s potential contract extension, Grigson said today that the team has yet to open negotiations, “but that will probably happen soon” (link via Holder). While he declined to discuss specific numbers, the GM expressed confidence that there would be no issues holding up talks.

Los Angeles Rams:

The Rams’ top priority right now is re-signing the team’s many free agent defensive backs, GM Les Snead said today, per Andrew Siciliano of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson, along with safety Rodney McLeod, are eligible to hit the market in March.
The Rams released three veteran players last week to create cap room, but the team is planning to keep offensive lineman Rodger Saffold on its roster, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Snead made it clear today that, in addition to addressing this year’s free agents, the Rams are also hoping to lock up key extension candidates, including defensive tackle Michael Brockers and linebacker Alec Ogletree (Twitter link via Wagoner).

Colts Confident They’ll Sign Andrew Luck To Extension

February 2nd, 2016 at 4:02pm CST by Zachary Links

TUESDAY, 4:02pm: Colts owner Jim Irsay confirmed today that he hopes to get Luck locked up to a new deal before the 2016 season begins, per Mike Wells of ESPN.com.

“Obviously being this early, there’s no reason to think that we would have had major negotiations yet, but that’s going to be happening as this month gets later and March comes in and all that sort of thing,” Irsay said Tuesday. “I think there’s a good chance we’ll get something done.”

Although Irsay acknowledged that an extension for Luck will likely be worth “nine figures,” he cautioned that he’d like to make the contract as cap-friendly as he can.

“To me it’s not a matter of what the number is going to be, but again, making sure that we have room to surround him with a championship football team and that it’s as cap friendly as it can be as we go through the end of this decade from 2016 to 2020,” Irsay said. “You want to make it cap-friendly and you want to have the ability to possibly alter it as time goes on to help the cap in different things like that.”

MONDAY, 6:50pm: The Colts are more confident than ever in the abilities of quarterback Andrew Luck and they believe that they can sign him to an extension this offseason, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Luck is under contract through 2016 with a base salary of $16.155MM.

A new contract for Luck could cost the Colts more than $22MM annually, exceeding Aaron Rodgers‘ average annual value with the Packers. In fact, Luck’s deal could even set a new watermark for guaranteed money in a deal. If they can’t hammer out a long-term contract, the Colts would have to use the franchise tag to keep him around beyond ’16. The former No. 1 overall pick ostensibly wants to get paid big bucks, but he also has said that he is tired of the constant “rebuilding” talk in Indianapolis. Ultimately, he open to the idea of signing an extension.

“Yeah, that would be great,” he said of a multi-year pact. “I haven’t thought about it too much. I wanted to make sure this season gets done. “But if there’s an opportunity for it, yeah, absolutely.”

Prior to the 2015 season, Luck led the Colts to three consecutive 11-5 seasons and established new career highs in 2014 with 4,761 passing yards and 40 touchdowns.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Notes: Luck, Weddle, Jets, Broncos

January 9th, 2016 at 5:56pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Earlier this week, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck said signing a contract extension to stay in Indianapolis “would be great.” It appears he’ll be in luck (no pun intended), as Colts owner Jim Irsay told Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star that an extension for the 25-year-old this summer “is the goal.”

“If we don’t get an agreement, we still have time,” Irsay continued. “And he is going to be signed. There’s a reasonably good chance we can come to that agreement this offseason. He will be here, trust me. Andrew and I have talked – we talked after the end of the season – and he couldn’t be more excited.”

Luck is set to count over $16MM against the Colts’ cap in 2016, the final year of his deal, before he’s scheduled for free agency. The chances of Luck hitting the market are essentially nonexistent, though, as the Colts will either extend the four-year veteran or, worst-case scenario, place the franchise tag on him. An extension could potentially make Luck the NFL’s highest-paid player.

Colts QB Andrew Luck Wants Extension

January 4th, 2016 at 5:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck would be receptive to signing a long-term extension with the Colts, as Mike Chappell of CBS4 writes. Luck is under contract through 2016 with a base salary of $16.155MM.

“Yeah, that would be great,” he said of a multi-year pact. “I haven’t thought about it too much. I wanted to make sure this season gets done. “But if there’s an opportunity for it, yeah, absolutely.”

A new contract for Luck could cost the Colts more than $22MM annually, exceeding Aaron Rodgers‘ average annual value with the Packers. In fact, Luck’s deal could even set a new watermark for guaranteed money in a deal. If they can’t hammer out a long-term contract, the Colts would have to use the franchise tag to keep him around beyond ’16. The former No. 1 overall pick ostensibly wants to get paid big bucks, but he also says that he is tired of the constant “rebuilding” talk in Indianapolis.

“It’s everybody’s goal to win the Super Bowl, right?” Luck said. “When you don’t do that, stuff happens. When you don’t get to the playoffs and give yourself a chance to win the Super Bowl, regardless of the situation going on (things happen). [Owner Jim] Irsay has done a great job of leading this franchise for a long, long time. It’s a winning franchise. Super Bowl winner and very, very successful. I know he has a vision for this team and whatever it is we’ll be there to make sure we try and get it done.”

Prior to the 2015 season, Luck led the Colts to three consecutive 11-5 seasons and established new career highs in 2014 with 4,761 passing yards and 40 touchdowns.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cole’s Latest: Chip Kelly, Los Angeles, Colts

December 30th, 2015 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Jason Cole of Bleacher Report has provided updates on a handful of notable stories, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights from his latest video reports….

Chip Kelly has interest in the Titans‘ head coaching job and believes he should have opportunities around the league, possibly in Tennessee, Cleveland, or Miami, sources tells Cole (video link).
About half of the NFL’s team owners – members of the Los Angeles committee, the finance committee, and the stadium committee – are scheduled to meet next week at the league’s New York offices to discuss possible relocation to L.A., according to Cole (video link). The Bleacher Report scribe hears that there’s a consensus building among owners that the Chargers are the favorite to get approval to relocate, but those owners remain unsure about what to do with the Rams and Raiders.
With the Colts potentially preparing to move on from head coach Chuck Pagano, there are those in the organization who wonder whether Andrew Luck will have a strong opinion on who the team’s next head coach will be, says Cole (video link). Luck is entering the final year of his contract with the club, so as he considers signing a long-term extension with Indianapolis, it makes sense that he’d want to have some input on who will be coaching him.

QB Rumors: Luck, Hoyer, Dalton, Cousins

December 16th, 2015 at 12:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The race for the AFC South title will take another interesting twist this week, as the starting quarterbacks for the division’s top teams have both been ruled out for Week 15. The Texans announced today that Brian Hoyer won’t play due to a concussion, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle details, while Colts head coach Chuck Pagano told reporters that Andrew Luck won’t play, though Matt Hasselbeck should (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).

The two current leaders in the AFC South are, of course, scheduled to play each other this Sunday, so one of the two 6-7 clubs will almost certainly get back to .500. But they’ll have to attempt to do so without their starting QBs.

Here are a few more updates on quarterback situations around the NFL:

Bengals players expect quarterback Andy Dalton to be sidelined for about four to six weeks, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. If he can heal quickly and return in four weeks, that would put Dalton on track to potentially start a game on Wild Card weekend for Cincinnati.
With Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins nearing the end of his rookie contract, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes a look at what a contract extension for Cousins might look like. As Corry observes, a Nick Foles-type deal could work for both sides, but Cousins should be in no rush to sign an extension if he finishes the season strong, since making Washington have to consider using its franchise tag would give him plenty of leverage.
Cousins is one of a handful of potential free agent quarterbacks that Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks discuss in a piece for NFL.com, and the duo agrees that Washington should do all it can to hang onto the fourth-year signal-caller. Jeremiah and Brooks also examine Eagles QB Sam Bradford, Blaine Gabbert of the 49ers, and Broncos QB Brock Osweiler, among others.
Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Jay Cutler are among the players whose teams – the Saints, Broncos, and Bears respectively – will face some tough cap decisions this offseason, writes Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. Each case is a little different, but restructured contracts, trades, or cuts could be in play, as Robinson details.

Latest On Colts’ QBs

December 14th, 2015 at 6:07pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

It’s not often that two sub-.500 teams square off in December with first place in their division at stake, but that will be the case Sunday when the Colts and Texans – both 6-7 – meet in Indianapolis in a crucial AFC South showdown. Making this matchup even more unusual is that each club could have a backup quarterback at the helm. Thanks to a concussion, the Texans will likely be without No. 1 man Brian Hoyer, meaning they’ll turn to T.J. Yates. On the other side, it’s currently unknown which of the three Colts QBs will be under center.

Andrew Luck – who has been out since early November with a lacerated spleen – is hoping to return this week, though Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star writes that his status is in doubt. Luck has multiple hurdles to jump before he can make his much-anticipated comeback, as Holder notes: Team doctors have to clear him twice – once to return to practice, again to actually suit up in a game. Given that Luck’s injury is internal, the Colts aren’t going to force him back into the lineup prematurely and put his health at greater risk. For his part, Luck acknowledges that his conditioning is in need of work after missing so much time.

“Throwing felt great,” he said Monday, according to Holder. “Conditioning-wise, it’s a process. When you take time off, it takes a little more time to get back into it.”

As if Luck’s injury situation isn’t frustrating enough for the Colts, reserve Matt Hasselbeck is also banged up. The 40-year-old’s left arm is in a sling thanks to a rib injury he suffered in Sunday’s 51-16 loss to Jacksonville, and head coach Chuck Pagano said Hasselbeck is dealing with spasms associated with the injury. Pagano added that Hasselbeck will try to return to practice on Thursday, and expressed optimism regarding his status for the Houston game.

“I fully anticipate him being available for us,” Pagano said.

If the worst happens for Indy and both Luck and Hasselbeck aren’t ready by Sunday, the Colts will turn to third-stringer Charlie Whitehurst with their season at stake.

Latest On Colts QB Andrew Luck

December 14th, 2015 at 2:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Recently, Colts owner Jim Irsay indicated that Andrew Luck could return from his lacerated kidney injury this week against the Texans. As it turns out, there’s still uncertainty over when or if Luck will return this season, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Further complicating matters for the Colts is the status of Matt Hasselbeck. The aging QB was seen leaving the stadium on Sunday night with his left arm in a sling and his status going forward is also shaky. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that all of Hasselbeck’s injuries are of the soft tissue variety and it is believed that he has not suffered any fractures.

It’s been a rough season so far for Luck, who was sidelined a shoulder injury earlier in the year and reportedly played with broken ribs leading up to his November kidney injury. The former first overall pick has only won two of his seven starts, having completed just 55.3% of his passes, with 12 interceptions and a career-low 6.4 yards per attempt.