Andrew Luck

Andrew Luck Underwent Shoulder Surgery

January 19th, 2017 at 8:21am CST by Connor J. Byrne

Colts owner Jim Irsay insisted during the season that quarterback Andrew Luck wouldn’t need surgery on the right shoulder injury that has bothered him the past two years.

“There isn’t some kind of chronic shoulder injury or anything like that, I promise you,” he said in the fall (via Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star). “There are no surgeries planned. He is fine and the shoulder is something that just disappears into the woodwork when he wins his next MVP or when he wins a Super Bowl.”

It came as somewhat of a surprise, then, when Irsay announced Thursday that Luck underwent a shoulder procedure.

Tweeted Irsay, “Andrew recovering from successful outpatient surgery to fix right shoulder injury that had lingered since 2015. Will be ready for season!”

Even though the Colts stumbled to their second straight 8-8 campaign in 2016, Luck didn’t show any ill effects from the injury. After inking a record extension last summer, Luck completed 63.5 percent of passes, threw 31 touchdowns against 13 interceptions and piled up 4,240 yards in 15 games. Those numbers represented a significant revival for the 27-year-old Luck, who struggled mightily during a seven-game, injury-plagued 2015.

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Coaching Rumors: Payton, Rams, Gruden

December 24th, 2016 at 6:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Despite rumors to the contrary, one source tells ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett there is no indication the Saints are more willing to part ways with Sean Payton now than they were in the past. That same source also refuted the notion that morale is low in New Orleans because of speculation over Payton’s future. Regardless, you can expect the Payton buzz to continue for a while. There’s now talk that Payton has “sincere interest” in the Rams’ opening.

Here’s a roundup of the latest coaching rumors:

Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn and Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter are two to watch in the Rams‘ coaching search, Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets.
There are reasons why Jon Gruden does and doesn’t make sense for the Rams, Mike Florio of PFT writes. Gruden has star power, offensive know-how, and relationships with both COO Kevin Demoff and Washington exec Bruce Allen, who could be a GM candidate for the team. He could also help the team attract Raiders fans in the area. Conversely, one could argue that Gruden was overrated as a coach since he won a Super Bowl with a defense built by Tony Dungy and run the highly-respected Monte Kiffin. Gruden also doesn’t have a rep as a player-friendly coach.
Panthers coach Ron Rivera has been mentioned as a possibility for the Rams‘ job, but his agent tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer there hasn’t been any contact between Rivera and Los Angeles. “There hasn’t been any contact,” agent Frank Bauer said. “Ron’s super happy where he’s at.” Of course, that doesn’t mean a whole lot. The Rams could still wait until after the season to reach out to Rivera and, even if they have already, his agent would never publicly confirm an act of tampering. If there is mutual interest between the Rams and Rivera this spring, L.A. would still have to negotiate a trade with the Panthers.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh won’t be returning to the NFL in 2017, but he could eventually be back, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (link via PFT). If and when he goes back to the NFL, Rapoport says he could be a match for the Bears. Meanwhile, some league insiders have speculated to PFT that Harbaugh could eventually coach the Colts, reuniting him with Andrew Luck.

Andrew Luck To Play On Monday Night

December 3rd, 2016 at 6:38pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts will see the return of their best player when they face the Jets on Monday Night Football, as quarterback Andrew Luck has emerged from the league’s concussion protocol and will start in a critical Week 13 contest, the club announced today.

[RELATED: Colt Activate Trent Cole]

Indianapolis was forced to turn to backup signal-caller Scott Tolzien against the Steelers on Thanksgiving Day, and the Colts predictably struggled to generate any sort of consistent offense (though the club’s defense perhaps shoulders more of the blame for that Week 12 loss). The Colts now sit with a record 6-6, one game behind the AFC South-leading Texans, and a half-game behind the Titans, who are on bye.

Heading into their matchup against the Jets, the Colts have a 20.7% chance of earning a postseason berth, according to Football Outsiders, and the path to playoffs almost assuredly entails taking the division crown thanks to the strength of other AFC wild card contenders. A victory over New York would bump those odds to roughly 30%, tweets Brian Burke of ESPN.com, while a loss would drop them to the 10-15% range.

The news and signals on Luck coming out of Indianapolis had been positive all week, as he was spotted on the practice field as early as Monday. Additionally, the Colts opted to waive quarterback Stephen Morris when activating linebacker Trent Cole, a clear indication that Luck was looking at an imminent return to game action.

Colts QB Andrew Luck On Track To Return

November 28th, 2016 at 11:20am CST by Zachary Links

Andrew Luck was forced to sit out Thursday night with a concussion, but it looks like he’ll be in uniform for the Colts on Monday. The quarterback was on the practice field today as Indianapolis prepares for Monday’s game against the Jets, as Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star tweets. It’s not immediately clear if Luck has completed the league’s concussion protocol yet, but he can’t be far off.

Without Luck, the Colts were forced to turn to Scott Tolzien under center. Predictably, the offense wasn’t quite the same and the Colts succumbed to the Steelers who were powered by Antonio Brown‘s three touchdown performance.

If Luck is given the green light for this week, the Colts will likely bump Tolzien back to No. 2 and cut Stephen Morris. Throughout the year, the Colts have been using two QBs on the 53-man roster, so Morris figures to be on the chopping block. If Morris clears waivers, he could be re-signed to the practice squad, where he has spent most of the season.

Now at 5-6, the Colts are still in the divisional conversation as they sit behind the Titans (6-6) and the Texans (6-5). So far this year, Luck has completed 62.9% of his passes for 2,827 yards with 19 scores against eight interceptions.

Colts’ Andrew Luck Out Thursday

November 23rd, 2016 at 4:34pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

As expected, the Colts will be without quarterback Andrew Luck when they face the Steelers on Thanksgiving in a battle of 5-5 AFC playoff contenders. Luck suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter of the Colts’ 24-17 win over the Titans last Sunday and hasn’t practiced since.

With Luck on the shelf, the Colts will turn to backup Scott Tolzien as their starter and promote Stephen Morris from the practice squad to serve as their No. 2 signal-caller. The 29-year-old Tolzien has two NFL starts under his belt – both with the Packers in 2013 – and has completed 56 of 91 passes (61.5 percent) for 721 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions in his pro career.

Luck, who missed nine games last year with various injuries and posted underwhelming numbers, had bounced back this season prior to his latest ailment. The fifth-year man has hit on 62.9 percent of his attempts (up from 55.3 in 2015), thrown for 2,827 yards and added 19 scores against eight picks. With a Thursday game this week and a Monday night matchup against the Jets in Week 13, Luck will have extra time to work his way back for the Colts’ next contest. In the meantime, the Colts won’t have the face of their franchise against a Steelers team that crushed them, 45-10, a year ago.

Andrew Luck In Concussion Protocol

November 21st, 2016 at 5:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Andrew Luck‘s status for a Thanksgiving-night game against the Steelers is in doubt after the fifth-year quarterback ventured into concussion protocol, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Right now, the Colts aren’t hopeful that Luck could be cleared in time for the pivotal game, so they are planning for Scott Tolzien to get the nod, Rapoport reports (on Twitter). If the backup is forced into action, it would be the second straight season the Colts will face the Steelers without Luck. Pittsburgh beat Indianapolis 45-10 in Week 13 last year.

Chuck Pagano said the team will prepare Tolzien to be the starter this week, with Luck needing to navigate several stages in hopes of returning by Thursday night. Luck is being evaluated for a concussion by this distinction since going into concussion protocol doesn’t mean the quarterback has one. Luck wasn’t feeling well after Sunday’s win against the Titans, per Pagano.

The Colts sit 5-5 and in second place in the AFC South and two games back in the conference’s wild-card race. Luck has started every game last year after missing nine starts last season, which represent his only games missed since being drafted No. 1 overall.

Formerly Aaron Rodgers‘ backup in Green Bay, Tolzien signed in Indianapolis this offseason but has scant starting experience. A Rodgers 2013 injury left Tolzien in command of the Packers’ offense briefly, but the team signed Matt Flynn after Tolzien made two starts, going 0-1-1. He’s a career 61 percent passer, with 90 of his 91 regular-season attempts coming during that 2013 stretch. The 29-year-old Tolzien has one career touchdown pass and five interceptions.

Luck’s odds at playing Thursday appear slim due to the short time between the Colts’ Week 11 and Week 12 games, with Mike Garafolo of NFL.com noting (on Twitter) Davante Adams doing so earlier this season represents among the few exceptions.

This season, Luck’s completing a career-high 62.9 percent of his throws. The former Stanford prodigy has thrown for 2,827 yards, 19 touchdowns, with eight interceptions.

Is Andrew Luck’s Contract To Blame For Colts’ Struggles?

October 8th, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Ben Levine

When the Colts signed quarterback Andrew Luck to a record-breaking six-year, $140MM contract, the team was probably anticipating (at the very least) consistent playoff appearances. They certainly weren’t expecting a disappointing 1-3 start to the 2016 season.

The Colts have struggled mightily through the first month of the season. The offensive line has allowed a league-high 15 sacks, while the defense ranks towards the bottom of the league in both yards and points allowed. Most pundits would attribute the Colts’ problems to their head coach, Chuck Pagano. Perhaps they’d rather blame the architect of the roster, general manager Ryan Grigson. However, in a recent interview on Jay Mohr Sports, Grigson actually placed the blame on Luck’s giant contract.

“On defense, we’ve never come out and said it’s Super Bowl or bust this year,” Grigson said (via Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com). “We have a defense that is a work in progress. … Once we paid Andrew (Luck) what we did, it’s going to take some time to build on the other side of the ball.”

Sure, Luck’s $24.6MM salary for 2016 is the highest in the league, but the contract shouldn’t prevent the organization from building a solid squad around their franchise player. As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com writes, Luck’s contract isn’t a “position buster,” meaning his deal isn’t egregious when compared to the fifth-highest player at his position. Signing a player to such a contract means the team may have to sacrifice “two low level veteran depth guys for younger talent.” However, as Fitzgerald notes, that “should not change the top level composition of the team.”

Futhermore, Luck’s contract shouldn’t restrict the Colts from making moves in the future, either. Over the next six seasons, Luck’s contract will never account for more than 15-percent of the cap. For comparison’s sake, Peyton Manning accounted for a similar amount of the Broncos cap last season, and that team managed to win a Super Bowl behind an elite defense. Plus, the team ranks 19th in total contract value per year, which (if managed properly) shouldn’t prevent the team from building a solid foundation around Luck.

The team’s biggest offseason signings on defense, cornerbacks Patrick Robinson and Antonio Cromartie, haven’t played a significant role in 2016, and the latter was even released earlier this week. Meanwhile, Grigson has only used 16 of his 38 draft picks on defensive players, which
makes it tough to develop a talented and productive unit. Fitzgerald notes that the team has also overspent on free agents Gosder Cherilus, LaRon Landry, and Greg Toler in recent years. They haven’t drafted a Pro Bowler since 2012, and they sent out another first-rounder for running back Trent Richardson. When you look at it that way, it’s especially hard to blame the quarterback’s contract.

When all is said and done, the Colts should have anticipated this “predicament.” Fitzgerald estimates that a team should expect to spend at least $19.5MM a season on a franchise quarterback, and plenty of teams have succeeded despite paying that kind of money. Furthermore, the team failed to take advantage of Luck’s team-friendly rookie contract, another slight on Grigson’s shaky record.

Fortunately, there’s reason for optimism, Colts fans: Grigson isn’t panicking!

“The thing about is, we’re all accountable,” Grigson said. “Myself is accountable. Our coach always brings that up to the team constantly, we’re all accountable in this thing. We’re accountable to ourselves. We’re accountable to our owner, the horseshoe and all that. … Coach and I have a lot of faith in this team. It’s an early season. There are a lot of good 1-3 teams right now. There’s no reason to panic.”

However, if the Colts continue to struggle and Grigson continues to displace the blame, the general manager’s attitude will undoubtedly change.

AFC South Notes: Texans, Jags, Hardy, Colts

July 22nd, 2016 at 7:59pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Receiver DeAndre Hopkins is under Texans control for two more seasons, but he’d like to remain in Houston a lot longer than that. “I love this city. I don’t want to play anywhere else but here,” the 24-year-old said Friday, per Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com. Hopkins didn’t go into detail, however, about the type of long-term deal he’s seeking. “I’m not looking for a certain range. I just want to be treated for what I’m worth. That’s fair to say, right?”

There’s no word on whether Hopkins and the Texans are progressing toward an extension, but general manager Rick Smith is eager to retain the 2013 first-round pick from Clemson. “He certainly is one of those guys that we’re going to keep around here for a long time hopefully,” Smith stated.

Worst-case scenario, Hopkins will only stay in Houston through 2017, as the club exercised his $7.915MM fifth-year option in April. A long-term accord would surely cost the Texans far more than that on an annual basis, though, considering Hopkins has emerged as an elite weapon despite having caught passes from a slew of mediocre quarterbacks during his first three seasons. Hopkins is coming off his best year, one in which he hauled in 111 passes for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns, and became the first player to amass a 100-yard receiving game with four different QBs in the same season.

The latest on two of Houston’s division rivals:

The Jaguars recently worked out controversial free agent defensive end Greg Hardy and might even sign him, though a league source told Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com that such a move isn’t yet under consideration. However, the door isn’t completely closed on it, notes DiRocco, who opines that the Jaguars shouldn’t sign the 27-year-old because of his repellent behavior in Carolina and his issues last season in Dallas, where he was a headache both for the coaches and from a PR standpoint. From purely a football perspective, Hardy would upgrade a Jacksonville team whose top two edge rushers, Dante Fowler Jr. and Yannick Ngakoue, have zero NFL snaps between them. The Jags also finished just 20th in sacks last year (Hardy has 33 in his past 44 games), though Fowler missed the entire campaign with a torn ACL, Ngakoue was at Maryland and high-profile free agent pickup Malik Jackson was a Bronco.
Contary to DiRocco’s argument, there are some Jaguars who believe Hardy would fit in their locker room, tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
After the Colts stumbled through a tumultuous 2015 that resulted in an 8-8 finish, the expectation was that owner Jim Irsay would let go of general manager Ryan Grigson and Chuck Pagano. Irsay did the opposite and extended the pair’s contracts, which has earned quarterback Andrew Luck‘s endorsement. “I think Mr. Irsay showed a lot of guts keeping coach Pagano and Ryan (Grigson),” Luck told Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. “I think the easy thing is to start all over, I really do. I think that was an awesome, gutsy move. I think it surprised me, but then again, I think any decision would’ve surprised me.” One key reason the Colts went from three straight playoff berths to a .500 finish last season was the injury issues that beset Luck, who missed nine of 16 games. Luck also fared poorly in the seven games he did appear in, but that didn’t stop the Colts from awarding the 26-year-old a record-setting extension in June. In regards to the upcoming season, Irsay said of Luck, “I’ve never seen him more motivated. That fire is in his eye in a special way.”
Earlier Friday, the league suspended Indianapolis defensive lineman Arthur Jones four games for violating its performance-enhancing drugs policy.

AFC Notes: Broncos, Colts, Browns, Steelers

July 1st, 2016 at 5:23pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Broncos management is at risk of sending the wrong message to the team’s players if it doesn’t reach a long-term deal with disgruntled franchise linebacker Von Miller by the July 15 deadline, opines Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. Denver’s standoff with Miller comes a year after it reduced then-quarterback Peyton Manning‘s salary by $4MM, writes Legwold, who notes that the Broncos’ willingness to play hardball with their biggest stars isn’t lost on their other players. However, as Legwold points out, the Broncos are the reigning Super Bowl champions, winners of five straight AFC West titles and have managed the salary cap well, so they’re clearly operating in a competent manner.

More from Denver and a few other AFC cities:

Quarterback Andrew Luck‘s record-setting contract won’t have an adverse effect on the Colts’ salary cap, argues Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. Among Holder’s reasons: The cap, which has gone up $22MM since 2014, is likely to continue rising; as evidenced by the deals given to Luck, left tackle Anthony Castonzo, No. 1 receiver T.Y. Hilton and tight end Dwayne Allen since last summer, the Colts are now emphasizing drafting, developing and keeping their own instead of relying on free agency; and Luck helped the Colts by agreeing to a team-friendly pact that will pay him just over $23MM per year, not the $25MM annual amount many predicted.
Miami traded fourth-year cornerback Jamar Taylor Cleveland earlier this offseason, and the former second-round pick is excited for a new beginning with the Browns. “It’s definitely a fresh start for me. For what I went through in Miami, it’s all over. This is a great group of people here, a great organization, a great staff,” Taylor told Patrick Maks of ClevelandBrowns.com. “Nobody knows me, I know nobody. It’s just really new for me. It’s definitely a fresh start, but it’s a fresh start for everybody. None of the coaches really know a lot of these guys so everybody knows they just have to go put it on tape. You are who you put on tape and you are who you are around your teammates.”
Although Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette doesn’t necessarily doubt ex-Guyer Institute pharmacist Charlie Sly’s allegations regarding performance-enhancing drugs in the NFL, the writer blasts commissioner Roger Goodell over the league’s desire to interview the Steelers’ James Harrison concerning PEDs. The 38-year-old linebacker was among several players Sly accused of receiving PEDs and-or painkillers from Guyer Institute in a 2015 Al Jazeera documentary. Sly has since recanted his claims, however, and with that in mind, Starkey doesn’t see the credible evidence necessary to pursue an interview with Harrison. The NFL Players Association echoed a similar sentiment in a letter to the league earlier this week, and Harrison took to social media to express the limited terms under which he’d agree to an interview.
Texans minority owner Philip Burguieres has passed away, reports Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston (via Twitter). Owner Bob McNair paid tribute to Burguieres in a statement: “As most of you know, Philip worked tirelessly with me to bring an NFL franchise back to Houston in the late 1990s. He was instrumental to the success of the Texans, serving as Vice Chairman until 2012. Philip also was involved in the McNair Group investment activities. He was a longtime friend of mine and a mentor to many and will be greatly missed.”
Broncos safety Shiloh Keo could be subject to league discipline after pleading guilty Friday to a misdemeanor charge for driving under the influence in February, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. Keo, who joined the Broncos last December, re-signed with the team on a one-year deal in April.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

Colts Extend Andrew Luck Through 2021

June 29th, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have announced the signing of quarterback Andrew Luck to a six-year, $140MM contract extension that will keep him in Indianapolis through at least the 2021 season. The deal – which pays Luck $75MM over its first three years – is the richest in NFL history and includes $87MM in guarantees and $44MM guaranteed at signing.

Before Wednesday, Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Chargers signal-caller Philip Rivers tied for the record in total guarantees at $65MM. Going by both total and yearly average ($23.3MM), Luck now has the crown. That AAV tops the Ravens’ Joe Flacco ($22.1MM), the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers ($22MM), the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson ($21.9MM), the Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger ($21.85MM), Manning ($21MM) and Rivers ($20.8MM).

Without a deal for Luck – who was entering his fifth-year option season – the Colts could have retained the passer with the exclusive franchise tags in 2017 and 2018 at estimated salaries of $25MM and $35MM. Given those numbers, a three-year, $76MM figure was long expected to serve as the basis for negotiations.

Luck, whom the Colts chose No. 1 overall out of Stanford in the 2012 draft, completed just 55.3% of his passes and logged 15 touchdowns against 12 interceptions in his injury-riddled, seven-game fourth season. Prior to that, however, he led the league with 40 touchdown passes in 2014 and helped guide the Colts to an AFC title game berth. After going 2-14 in the bridge year between the Peyton Manning era and Luck’s tenure, the Colts posted three consecutive 11-5 seasons from 2012-2014. With Luck on the sideline for most of last season, Indy finished 8-8 and failed to make the playoffs.

Luck’s new contract ends one year after the CBA expires and a year before the current TV deals are done. Although Luck will be 32 then, he could be in line for a much larger deal on the other side of this lucrative extension.

Back in March, Colts owner Jim Irsay mentioned July 4 as a target date for getting an extension done with Luck. Now, the two sides have struck a deal well in advance of the holiday weekend.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the extension. Contract details courtesy of Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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