Colts Veteran Says Andrew Luck Was as Good as Patrick Mahomes After Controversial Statement

It all started in 2018– the first season for Patrick Mahomes as the starter, and the first for Andrew Luck after returning from his shoulder injury. The two combined for the most regular season touchdown passes for QBs meeting in a playoff matchup with 89. But despite Mahomes carrying over 56% of that total, not many considered the Chiefs’ 10th overall pick in 2017 draft anything close to Luck. The Herd’s Colin Cowherd even stated, “I’m not saying Patrick Mahomes isn’t really good. But he’s not Andrew Luck.” Just a month after that, on January 12, 2019, the entire arc of two careers was compressed into one frigid afternoon.

With a 31-13 win at the Arrowhead Stadium, the MVP frontrunner proved he was the QB to watch out. To date, he has maintained that position in the Chiefs. However, when former NBA player Jeff Teague recently pointed at the game and exclaimed, “This is when Pat first became Pat,” Zaire Franklin immediately interrupted. Giving a strong opinion, he said, “But he may not have become that if Luck would have stayed there, though.”

For anyone who has been following the NFL for years, that’s a statement that doesn’t go down easy. Patrick has been in his own league. Even though he was a playoffs rookie then, he dominated that divisional game from the start. By the end of that game, he had thrown for 278 yards against Luck’s 203.

Considering Luck’s season-long break due to injury just a year ago and retiring after the 2018 season, Franklin further clarified, “I’m just saying, that’s a realistic thing. Like if Andrew was still around, that could have just been another obstacle for Pat to become that. I’m not saying… Now, Pat is one of the greatest. I ain’t going to try him. But Luck was really on that path, bro.”

Teague posed the next obvious question on the Club520 podcast, “You think Andrew Luck was as good as Patrick Mahomes?” What he got from Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin was a passionate, nuanced defense of a legacy cut short: “Hmm… In his own way, yeah... Injuries held him down.”

Reasoning his take further, he added, “Luck was the best quarterback prospect literally since Peyton (Manning), bro. He had everything. He made every throw. Bro, this ni— could throw the ball. He threw the ball 25 yards down the field, it felt like he walked there and placed it right in your hands, bro. His accuracy and all that was extremely different. And he was mobile. He was mobile before a lot of these quarterbacks.”

Through his 86 career games, Luck amassed 23,671 passing yards and 171 touchdowns with 2014 being his most brilliant seasons. He put up 4,761 passing yards and a league-leading 40 touchdown passes showcasing his ceiling. After missing 2017, the 2018 season was supposed to be Luck’s grand return from the devastating shoulder injury. On his way to becoming the Comeback Player of the Year, Luck threw for 4,593 yards for 39 touchdowns on over 67% completions. But before the next season after his first meeting with Mahomes, Luck hung up his cleats.

After Colts’ preseason 27-17 loss to Chicago on August 24, 2019, Luck told the team about his plan. Walking off the sideline to boos, Luck explained his decision at a press conference, “I haven’t been able to live the life I want to live.” Referring to the cycle of injuries and rehabilitations, he added, “It’s taken the joy out of this game.” He sounded like a player who had given everything to the game, but in the end, did not have anything much left. And that was exactly what Luck really meant.

Luck’s continued presence could have changed the AFC landscape. His team knew they needed him to make it to the playoffs but could not deny what they had seen unravel right in front of their eyes. Since then, the Colts have met the Chiefs only twice in the regular season, winning over them both the times.

Still, Mahomes has dominated, collecting three Super Bowl titles that go with his 3x Super Bowl MVP nods, 6 Pro Bowl selections, and a plethora of accolades. His name also carries record-breaking 246 TD passes before turning 30. On the other hand, the Colts have been lost in a quarterback desert. Eleven different starters have taken a snap since Luck’s shocking 2019 retirement. A carousel of desperation includes names like Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, and now, newly acquired Daniel Jones.

The only time the two divergent paths ever truly crossed was in the 2018 AFC Divisional Round. But Luck has clearly been taking notes as he once praised the Chiefs QB, saying, “I think Pat Mahomes is incredible at it (drawing players offside). I bet if you look up how many offsides he’s drawn over his career, since starting, it’s going to be probably the highest ever.”

In Indianapolis, the grandest “what if” will always wear number 12. Meanwhile, in the modern era, Pat is preparing for his next challenge with the hopes of another Super Bowl this season to cement his greatness in the echelons of the NFL.