The Indianapolis Colts have finally decided to place Andrew Luck on injured reserve, ending his 2017 season.
The decision means that Luck will not play at all this season.
Luck underwent shoulder surgery in January to finally address some issues he’d experienced in the two prior seasons. There was no timetable for a return, but the team’s owner did say they expected Luck to play this season. The team also gave some signs of hope to fans by not placing the quarterback on IR to start the season, which seemed like an indication that he would be playing at some point within the first six to seven games.
Luck indeed began practicing a month ago in limited fashion and even worked his way up to 7-on-7 drills. But he experienced a setback, the team recently announced. He had cortisone shots on his shoulder that did not help the pain. Luck has not practiced for the past few weeks.
Just as they’ve said all along throughout the Luck recovery process, Colts head coach Chuck Pagano is thinking long-term with Luck.
“It’s long-term and we said that. It’s for the next 10, 12 years for this guy and for any player. Before we put anybody out there, we’re going to make sure he’s right so we’re going to stick to that process,” Pagano said via the Colts’ website.
It now looks like Jacoby Brissett, who was acquired prior to the start of the season, will be the team’s quarterback for the remainder of the season, health-permitting.
