Imagine a football legend returning to the big stage, but not to take a snap. This week, the lights of the San Jose Convention Center shine on Andrew Luck as he steps out of retirement and into a new role. The man who once led the Indianapolis Colts is back in the Bay Area, and this time, he’s the one holding the microphone to welcome the world’s best teams to the biggest NFL game of the year.

NFL communications director Brian McCarthy highlighted the moment on X (formerly Twitter), sharing a photo of Luck at the podium with Super Bowl LX and SF Bay Area Host Committee branding prominently displayed. He was there to welcome the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks as they arrived in California to prepare for their championship game this Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

“Stanford’s Andrew Luck participating in the Welcome to the Super Bowl event. He’s excited to play a role here as host of the AFC championship team. Jokes that he can’t believe it’s his rival, the Patriots.” McCarthy noted.

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Luck, now the General Manager of the Stanford football team, joked that it felt strange to be the “welcome committee” for the Patriots, since they were his biggest rivals when he was a quarterback at the Colts. He famously lost a huge playoff game to them back in 2014 with a score of 45-7, but he didn’t let that stop him from having a great time with the fans in his hometown.

Speaking of his unretirement, despite constant rumors about a possible NFL comeback, Andrew Luck remains firmly retired and has no plans to return to the professional stage. 

“I had zero chances to say no,” he said in one of the episodes of the Jim Rome Show.

Andrew Luck laughed off the speculation, explaining that he didn’t even have to think twice about his decision to stay away from the league. Instead of returning to the field, he has fully embraced his role as the general manager of the football program at Stanford, his alma mater. Luck is clearly focused on the future of college athletics and seems more than happy to trade the pressure of the NFL for the chance to lead his old team from the front office.