Proposed Scenario Sees Bucs Lure Ex-Pro Bowl QB Out of Retirement

Getty Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will likely be looking for Tom Brady‘s replacement this offseason.

Although Brady has yet to confirm reports of his retirement from football, it is expected that Brady, 44, will call it a career. On January 29, multiple reporters, including ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Brady would retire.

If the Buccaneers must prepare for a new era without Brady, they likely wouldn’t rebuild. Head coach Bruce Arians will return for the 2022 season, which means Tampa Bay could look for a veteran quarterback to fill the very large void that would be left by arguably the greatest quarterback of all time.

According to CBS Sports writer Cody Benjamin, the Bucs could try to lure 32-year-old quarterback Andrew Luck out of retirement.

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Why Bucs Could Lure Luck Back

Luck, who played for the Indianapolis Colts quarterback from 2012 to 2018, announced his retirement in August 2019. As Colts offensive coordinator and interim head coach, Arians worked with Luck, a former No. 1 overall pick, in 2012 during Luck’s rookie season.

Bucs quarterback coach Clyde Christensen also worked with Luck as the Colts’ QB coach from 2012 to 2015.

“Yes, it’s absurd, but don’t you dare dismiss the idea of Arians making the call,” Benjamin wrote in a January 29 story. “If Brady retires, this is a go-for-broke situation. Obviously, if Luck, 32, isn’t ready to come out of his famously abrupt retirement for the Colts, he probably wouldn’t do it for another team. Or would he?

“Why not reunite [Luck, Arians and Christensen] for a one-year trial run, and regardless of the outcome, everyone can re-retire in Florida afterward? On one hand, there’d be tons of pressure; on the other, none at all. Crazier things have happened, like Tom Brady playing for the Buccaneers.”

Luck Was Among NFL’s Top Quarterbacks From 2012 to 2018

Luck, who took over the Colts’ quarterback job for Peyton Manning, was one of the top quarterbacks in the game during his six seasons playing for the Colts. Four of his six seasons (he missed all of 2017 to recover from shoulder surgery) concluded with playoff appearances, and he led the 2014 Colts to the AFC Championship Game, where they lost 45-7 to the New England Patriots. That season, he led the league in touchdown passes with 40. He was named to the Pro Bowl on four occasions and led the league in touchdown passes in 2014.

Luck, who missed 26 games in his career because of a litany of injuries, told reporters upon his retirement how the injuries finally caught up to him. Added: Luck retired from the game due to injuries and rehabilitation. He missed the entire 2017 season because of a shoulder injury that required surgery.

“I’ve been stuck in this process,” Luck said in August 2019, during a press conference. “I haven’t been able to live the life I want to live. It’s taken the joy out of this game. The only way forward for me is to remove myself from football. This is not an easy decision. It’s the hardest decision of my life. But it is the right decision for me.”

Would Luck want to return to the NFL? According to Fox 59’s Mike Chappell, Colts owner Jim Irsay said in 2021 Zoom conference call, “Andrew’s retired. I think he’s happy. He’s raising his daughter. He has a wonderful family.”

Luck made a public appearance on January 10 at the college football national championship between Georgia and Alabama. In a sideline interview on ESPN’s telecast, Luck appeared to back up Irsay’s assertion from a year earlier when he replied to a question about what he has been doing: “Full-time daddy duty,” Luck said. “It’s been a complete joy.”