Where is Andrew Luck? Retired Colts QB back at Stanford three years after NFL departure

The Colts were set to be a potential AFC contender in the 2019 NFL season. The team had just finished a 10-6 campaign in 2018, and they had gotten strong enough around quarterback Andrew Luck that they looked ready to compete.

Luck was coming off a season that saw him win the AP Comeback Player of the Year award. He completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 4,593 yards, 39 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, and it looked like the then-29-year-old quarterback was just hitting his prime.

And if he could take a step forward in 2019, he could continue to establish himself as one of the league’s best quarterbacks.

Instead, he decided to step out of the spotlight all together.

Luck shocked the NFL world when he surprisingly retired ahead of the 2019 NFL season. Few knew what to make of the decision at the time, but three years later, it is proving to be a permanent one.

Luck hasn’t been in the national spotlight much since his departure from the NFL. Where is he now, and what is he up to? Here’s what to know about the former Colts quarterback as he enjoys his retirement.

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Where is Andrew Luck?

Luck explained in a rare public appearance at he 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship game in Indianapolis that he has been on “full-time daddy duty” since his retirement. He and his wife Nicole have a daughter, Lucy, who was 2 years old as of that broadcast.

Luck said that his job in that role is “a complete joy.”

Andrew Luck and @RGIII give advice for Bryce Young and Stetson Bennett ahead of the #NationalChampionship 🤝 pic.twitter.com/IsOU2qMTu4

— ESPN (@espn) January 10, 2022

Fast-forward a few months, and Luck is currently pursuing a Masters of Arts in Education at his alma mater, Stanford. Cardinal coach David Shaw made the revelation on The Rich Eisen Show in August, as transcribed by The Stanford Daily.

“Yeah I don’t know if I was supposed to publicize that or not, but yes, he’s starting grad school this fall,” Shaw said of Luck’s return to the school. “He and his wife Nicole are coming back out this way, and he’s just going to be around. He loves the Stanford environment, and he and his family are going to spend some time here and we can’t wait to be around him.”

Luck previously earned a degree in architecture from Stanford before he declared for the NFL Draft in 2012. He notably elected to forgo entry to the 2011 draft to finish his four-year degree; as a result, Cam Newton went No. 1 overall that year instead of Luck.

Before relocating to the Bay Area, Luck had previously lived in Indianapolis a few miles away from the Colts’ stadium and practice facility, per Zak Keefer of The Athletic. He remained there for years even after his retirement.

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Why did Andrew Luck retire?

Luck retired in 2019 after playing seven NFL seasons. He announced the decision at a news conference in August of that year and explained why he was abruptly calling it quits.

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 and unrelenting both in-season and offseason. I felt stuck in it. The only way I see out is to no longer play football. It’s taken my joy of this game away. I’ve been stuck in this process.

Luck had dealt with numerous injuries during his NFL career. They included a severe shoulder problem that cost him the entire 2017 season, a concussion, an abdominal tear, and a mysterious ankle injury that plagued him during the 2019 offseason.

Ultimately, Luck realized that he couldn’t continue to constantly battle injuries. As such, he had to move on in search of a better life.

I haven’t been able to live the life I want to live. And after 2016 when I played in pain and was unable to really practice, I made a vow to myself that I would not go down that path again. I find myself in a similar situation. The only way forward for me is remove myself from football and this cycle that I’ve been in. I made a vow to myself that if I ever did again, I would choose me in this sense.

Luck admitted the decision was “very difficult” to make. But he knew that in the long-term, it would be the best thing for both himself and his family.

It’s very difficult. I love this team. I love my teammates, the folks in our building, the fans, the game of football. And as part of this team, and because of how I feel I know that I am unable to pour my heart and soul into this position. Which would not only sell myself short, but the team in the end, as well.

And it’s sad. But I also have a lot of clarity in this. It’s been a difficult process.

And so, Luck stepped away from the game. He has made himself scarce in the three years since, and, as Keefer described, has “essentially become a ghost,” largely invisible to the NFL.

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Will Andrew Luck return to the NFL?

It seems highly unlikely that Luck will ever return to the NFL, at least as a player. 

Colts owner Jim Irsay was asked about a potential Luck return in February of 2021. At that time, Irsay dumped cold water on that possibility.

“He knows we would love to have him back,” Irsay said, per the Washington Post. “But only he can answer that question deep in his heart and his soul: ‘Hey, do I really want to come back and be a quarterback for the Colts again in the NFL?’ It’s easy for us. He knows how much we’d love to have him be our quarterback.

I don’t really know if we’ll see that. I think he’s happy. He’s raising his daughter. He has a wonderful family. He’s a great Colt. He knows that he can come back anytime he wants, but at the same time, we respect he’s made that decision.

Luck has largely remained out of the public eye over the last three years and has given no indication that he would like to return to the NFL. That’s why the Colts are not expecting the 32-year-old to return to the NFL at any point.

“We have to get on with the business of reality and move forward,” Irsay said. “That’s what we’re doing, and we wish him well.”