Andrew Luck dropped a bombshell on the NFL just two weeks before the 2019 NFL season starts.
During the Colts' Saturday night preseason game against the Chicago Bears, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported, citing a source, that the former Stanford quarterback had informed the team he was retiring.
Luck confirmed the stunning news after the game.
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SIGN UP HERE "This is not an easy decision," the 29-year-old signal-caller told reporters during a press conference. "Honestly, this is the hardest decision of my life, but it is the right decision for me."
Luck, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, had been dealing with a calf strain, and had yet to play this preseason. He played in just seven games in 2015, and missed the entire 2017 season with injuries.
"For the last four years or so, I've been in the cycle of injury, pain, rehab, injury, pain, rehab, and it's been unceasing and unrelenting, both in-season and [during the] offseason," Luck said. "And I felt stuck in it, and the only way I see out is to no longer play football. It's taken my joy of this game away."
Luck admitted that his decision to retire was made a little while ago.
After a promising start to his career, the four-time Pro Bowl selection walks away with 23,671 passing yards and 171 touchdown passes in seven seasons.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was one of the first NFL players to react to the stunning news.
For the moment, Jacoby Brissett will assume starting quarterback duties for the Colts. But keep an eye out for trade talks between them and the San Francisco 49ers.
If the Colts aren't convinced Brissett is their guy, they could approach the 49ers about either Nick Mullens or C.J. Beathard, as NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco pointed out.
However, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan tried to end that thought process after Saturday’s preseason win in Kansas City.
As for Luck, it's a stunning turn of events for a quarterback who entered the NFL as one of the most heralded players in recent memory.