News broke that Luck retired in the third quarter of a preseason game against the Chicago Bears in 2019. After the game, the QB gave an emotional press conference where he said he wanted to get out of the injury cycle that had consumed his career.
Ebron, who had his only Pro Bowl season with Luck in 2018, said last week that the Colts were frustrated with Luck on his own staff and that the GM insisted the QB play through his latest injury.
“Andrew then decides that he’s so tired of injuries and he doesn’t want to have the surgery and you know the guy over there that gets on everyone’s nerves, ‘Big Drawers’ (Ballard) over there behind the desk, he tells Andrew, ‘You’re either playing this year or we’re moving on,'” Ebron said on his podcast. “Who (outfielder) would tell Andrew Luck that? Andrew Luck is saying now, ‘I’m not going to be ready, I’m tired of playing with pain.’ I’m going to retire.”
Normally, disagreements between former players would not arise in a notable way. Still, the rhetoric underscores that the fallout from Luck’s retirement continues to hang over the franchise like thick smoke. The fact that Ballard has never been able to fully replace Luck has plagued the franchise. The club is betting big that Daniel Jones can finally be that answer.
The Colts have made the playoffs twice since Ballard took over as general manager in 2017 and missed the postseason each of the past five seasons, despite playing in a winnable AFC South. The pressure is on GM to finally get over that point by 2026, or the company may decide a decade is enough.