Andrew Luck Can’t Return to Colts from Retired List This Season, NFL Confirms

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Indianapolis Colts fans might want an Andrew Luck cameo in Week 17, but it couldn’t happen even if the quarterback wanted to return to the field.

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the NFL confirmed players on the reserve/retired list cannot return after Week 13. Luck retired prior to the 2019 season and hasn’t played an NFL game since January 2019.

Some hoped that he could return after starting quarterback Carson Wentz was placed on the COVID-19/reserve list on Tuesday. Wentz could miss Sunday’s home game against the Las Vegas Raiders, putting an important matchup in the hands of the unproven Sam Ehlinger.

The 9-6 squad is still alive in the playoff hunt, but a loss would be damaging. The AFC has 10 teams with at least eight victories with two games remaining in the regular season.

Luck, who earned four Pro Bowl selections in six active seasons, would certainly give the Colts a better chance, but the plan was far-fetched. The only chance for Indianapolis would be to drop him from the reserve list and re-sign him as a free agent, but he would be open to a waiver claim for any other team.

Considering the 32-year-old has also shown no interest in making a return, fans should forget this scenario.