Exit Peyton Manning.  Enter Andrew Luck.

Everybody knew that Andrew Luck was going to be the first overall pick in 2012, as it was widely believed that the Stanford superstar was going to be a difference-maker in the National Football League.  The Colts, who had Peyton Manning, had to watch their stud Quarterback sit out that year, resulting in a terrible season and a #1 overall draft pick for Indianapolis, which of course led to Luck donning the horseshoe.  How appropriate is that?

Luck’s early trajectory matched the highest expectations. He earned Pro Bowl selections in each of his first three seasons (2012–2014), elevating the team deeper into the postseason each year. His peak campaign arrived in 2014, when he led the entire NFL with 40 touchdown passes and threw for a franchise-record 4,761 yards while powering the Colts all the way to the AFC Championship Game. Possessing elite field vision, deep-ball accuracy, and the athletic strength to extend plays through heavy contact, Luck regularly carried entire game plans on his shoulders.

That physical style of play and porous pass protection eventually took a severe toll. A lacerated kidney and shoulder damage limited him to seven games in 2015, and after battling through the 2016 campaign, lingering shoulder issues forced him to miss the entire 2017 season following surgery. Luck mounted an inspiring return in 2018, delivering a stellar 39-touchdown performance that earned him his fourth Pro Bowl nod, the AP Comeback Player of the Year award, and another postseason victory.

Then came the moment that stunned the sporting world. In August 2019, at just 29 years old and on the eve of the regular season, Luck abruptly announced his retirement, citing the relentless cycle of injury and rehabilitation. Though his career ended far sooner than anyone anticipated, his talent and impact left an indelible mark on the era.

He threw for 24,671 Yards with a 171-83 TD-INT Ratio while also punching it in the end zone 14 times on the ground.