Andrew Luck has not played a regular season football game since the 2018 season, but the latest NFL rumors tell us that he’s still not out of the news. The Washington Commanders reportedly tried to lure him out of retirement, and there could be consequences for those actions. In other news, Saints rookie quarterback Jake Haener drew an impressive comparison, while Andy Reid provided an update on running back Isiah Pacheco.
NFL Rumors: Andrew Luck, Jake Haener, Isiah Pacheco
Colts Want Tampering Charges Over Andrew Luck
The Washington Commanders are going to enter the season with Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett battling for the starting job, but according to ESPN’s John Keim, the team did their due diligence on just about every quarterback that could theoretically be available, including Andrew Luck. Luck has not played a down of meaningful football since 2018, but Keim claims that the team reached out to Luck to see if he’d have any interest in coming back.
Even though he is retired, the Colts still control his rights, so if Washington did reach out to Luck without permission from Indianapolis, that is tampering. For what it’s worth, Luck’s camp has denied these reports, but Indianapolis is still calling for a league investigation. It’s also worth noting that Keim’s original article stated that the Commanders had “even phoned the retired Andrew Luck”, but has since been changed to say the team has “even phoned about retired Andrew Luck”.
Regardless of what the Commanders did or did not do, it’s safe to say that we’ve seen the last of Andrew Luck on the NFL stage. The former first-overall pick has never expressed any regret for calling it quits, and if he hasn’t missed football yet, then he never will.
Jake Haener Reminds Football Exec of Drew Brees
Derek Carr will be the starting quarterback for the 2023 New Orleans Saints, but one high-ranking executive within the organization believes that fourth-round quarterback Jake Haener could develop into a potential franchise quarterback – specifically, the same quarterback that led New Orleans to their lone Super Bowl title in 2009.
Speaking to Jeff Ireland of NoLa.com, Jeff Ireland praised the Fresno State product, saying that “[y]ou wouldn’t think he was 6-foot tall when you watch him. He’s got great processing ability. He’s got great vision. He’s got a quick stroke. He’s extremely smart. He’s a sixth-year senior, so he’s really mature for being a college senior….He’s had several fourth-quarter comebacks. He does kind of remind you or there’s some similarities to number 9 [Drew Brees].”
Ireland clarified later on that there is only one Drew Brees, and the odds of Haener developing into one of the 10 best quarterbacks to ever play the game is slim to none. However, he clearly believes that Haener has the traits to be successful, and if he builds on these traits, maybe he challenges Carr for the starting job in 2025.
Fresno State QB Jake Haener is headed to the Saints at pick No. 127
Derek Carr has a new backup pic.twitter.com/ImbEEHMW3t
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) April 29, 2023
Andy Reid Provides Update on Isiah Pacheco
Kansas City Chiefs seventh-round rookie Isiah Pacheco was one of the biggest out-of-nowhere stars of the 2023 season. Starting the season as a backup, the Rutgers product finished the season with 830 rushing yards and five touchdowns while leading Kansas City’s backfield throughout their run to the Super Bowl.
As it turns out, the rookie did all of this while playing through a serious hand injury and a torn labrum. Pacheco recently underwent surgery for both injuries, and head coach Andy Reid gave a quick update on his status.
“He’s making progress. We’ll just see how he does with it,” Reid said to USA Today’s Charles Goldman.
Reid is a man of few words, but based on Kansas City’s offseason actions, we can assume that Pacheco will be ready for the start of the 2023 season. The Chiefs didn’t add a running back in free agency or the NFL Draft, and they probably would have added some more depth if they thought that their early-down runner wouldn’t be ready for the start of the season.
Main Photo: Jenna Watson – USA Today Sports
