Luck, Colts sign $140-million deal
The Indianapolis Colts have given Andrew Luck an all-time-great contract. Now they need him to be an all-time-great quarterback.
The Colts met their goal to complete a massive long-term deal with Luck by the Fourth of July holiday, announcing Wednesday that they'd signed him to a six-year contract worth, according to owner Jim Irsay, $140 million.
"This is an exciting day for the organization and Colts fans around the globe," Irsay said in a statement. "Andrew is the consummate professional, possesses extraordinary talent and is our leader on and off the field. When you consider what this team has accomplished in four seasons with Andrew under center, you cannot help but be thrilled about the future."
Luck, 26, becomes the NFL's highest-paid player, with his deal surpassing the five-year, $110 million contract of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers; the three-year, $66.4 million deal of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco; and the four-year, $87.6 million contract of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
Luck had been set to make $16.155 million for the upcoming season under his fifth-year option previously exercised by the Colts. But Irsay had made it clear for quite some time that the team's intention was to sign Luck to a record-setting extension this summer.
The question now is whether Luck be worth
it.
"I am thrilled and excited to continue with this great organization," Luck said in a written statement. "I am thankful to the Irsay family and Mr. Irsay for providing me with this great opportunity and the trust that they've shown in me. I can't wait for this season to start."
For the first three seasons of his NFL career, there would have been little doubt about that. Luck, the top overall selection in the 2012 NFL draft, seemed well on his way to being the sport's No. 1 quarterback, the heir apparent to the New England Patriots' Tom Brady, the now-retired Peyton Manning, Rodgers and the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees.
Luck threw for an average of 4,319 yards and 29 touchdowns per season over those three years. His immediate excellence made the Colts' transition from Manning seamless. He was an accurate passer, a no-excuses leader and the toughest of tough guys, willing to stand in the pocket and absorb any hit to buy himself an extra fraction of a second to deliver a pass down the field. The Colts built a contender around him, reaching the AFC title game at the end of the 2014 season before being overwhelmed by Brady and the Patriots in the defeat that produced the endless Deflategate saga.
The Colts added big-name veterans, including running back Frank Gore and wide receiver Andre Johnson, last offseason in what looked like a Super Bowl-or-bust push. It went decidedly bust.