There are many news stories that come across the wire. Some have some merit. Others are straight-up clickbait. In this new series, PlayerProfiler’s own NFL Insider and Host of PlayerProfiler Today, Jack Cavanagh, cuts through the mess to find real NFL player news everyone wants to know.
PlayerProfiler is dedicated to keeping the reader one step ahead of the competition.
What is Going On With Andrew Luck and the Washington Commanders?
Good evening. Out top story this week: the Washington Commanders were once again in the news cycle this week. Thankfully, this time it’s for comedic relief. A report came out months ago that the Commanders’ front office had called all 32 NFL teams in an attempt to acquire their starting quarterback ahead of the 2022 season. Yes – this means Washington also called the Kansas City Chiefs asking if they could have Patrick Mahomes. To be a fly on the wall of that conversation…
Fast forward to this week, and it’s uncovered that not only did they call about every active quarterback, but they also dipped their fishing line in the pool of retired players calling on one Andrew Luck. As you may have noticed, it is now 2023. Luck did not play for the Commanders last year. Given his reputation as an upstanding gentleman, we can assume Luck gave the team a quick “Heck No” before hanging up the phone. However, that’s not the end of this story.
Where the Andrew Luck Contract Stands
Andrew Luck was halfway through a six-year, $140M extension when he decided to hang up the cleats. This means he is still under contract with the Indianapolis Colts. When a player retires their contract will “toll,” meaning their contract is essentially put on hold. If the player stays retired, the contract is permanently on hold. If the player comes out of retirement, the contract resumes.
This means that if Luck were to decide to return to the NFL he would be under contract with the Colts for three more years. As we all know from the Dolphins/Tom Brady/Sean Payton love affair: you cannot negotiate with players under contract with another team without the express permission of the team. This would, of course, mean that the Commanders violated the NFL’s tampering policy in an attempt to convince Luck to un-retire. This did this so they could then convince the Colts to trade him.
Tampering
Tampering is a no-no across the NFL. However, it becomes even more interesting when it’s Dan Snyder’s team tampering with Jim Irsay’s golden child Andrew Luck. Irsay and Snyder are no strangers to having it out in the media. Irsay was one of the first NFL owners to publicly state that the Commanders should be sold amidst whispers that Snyder had private investigators following the important figures around the league. Even on the 0.001% chance that Washington could get luck to un-retire, that is a 0-percent chance that Irsay sends the love of his life to his arch nemesis.
In the end, this is a silly story. Andrew Luck was never coming out of retirement. Jim Irsay would never allow Luck to play for the Washington Commanders. How the NFL deals with this is anyone’s guess. Leave it to Dan Snyder to leave the new owners with a pending fine/docking of draft picks thanks to the most ridiculous tampering of all time.
