Following a report from ESPN’s John Keim on Saturday in which it was stated that the Commanders “phoned” retired quarterback Andrew Luck over a possible comeback, Jim Irsay took to Twitter to clear the air.
The Colts owner fired off a warning shot to anyone who may be interested in poaching Luck from retirement, kindly reminding the other 31 NFL teams that they’d be in violation of the league’s tampering policy.
On Sunday night, Irsay took to Twitter to air out his message.
“If any NFL Team, attempted to contact Andrew Luck (or any associate of him)… to play for their Franchise - it would be a clear Violation of the League’s Tampering Policy,” wrote Irsay.
If any NFL Team,attempted to contact Andrew Luck (or any associate of him)… to play for their Franchise - it would be a clear Violation of the League’s Tampering Policy.
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) May 8, 2023
Keim’s report indicated that last offseason, the Commanders were looking far and wide to find a quarterback to add to the roster alongside Sam Howell, Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke. According to the report, Washington reached out to Luck to gauge his interest in potentially coming out of retirement.
Irsay made clear that any attempts to lure Luck back into the NFL would be against the league’s bylaws, quickly nipping any rumors of Luck’s return in the bud.
Luck last played in the NFL in 2018 with the Colts, after which the former No. 1 pick out of the 2012 NFL draft announced his shocking retirement. He’s still just 33 years old, but has made no indication that he’s looking to return to football.
The Colts still own the rights to Luck, should he make an NFL comeback, so Irsay’s warning will likely cool any rumors surrounding the former Stanford standout.