The Colts would like to get quarterback Andrew Luck signed to a new contract before July 4. It sounds as if Luck would like to get it done even sooner than that.
“I’d absolutely love to be here, get it done and move forward,” Luck told reporters on the first day of the offseason program, via quotes distributed by the team. “That being said, I really don’t spend that much time thinking about it.”
But it’s clear that Luck spends enough time thinking about it.
“I have a great agent who’s also my uncle, so I probably talk to him too much,” Luck said with a laugh. “But I trust him to do a great job and we’ll see what happens.”
Owner Jim Irsay has said the final number will be shocking. Luck was asked whether he’d be shocked by the number.
“I don’t know,” Luck said. “I don’t know how to answer that.”
Here’s how he answered the question of whether he’s as healthy as he can be after shoulder, rib, and kidney injuries derailed most of his fourth NFL season.
“No, I still l have some work to do certainly,” Luck said. “That being said, you’re always working to get better. You’re always working to feel better. You’re always working to be in better shape, to be more physically fit, so that’s still a process. It’s been a process that we laid down basically that first week after the season ended with our trainers and PT’s, the coaches and myself. We said, ‘Alright, here’s the plan. Here’s the plan basically until training camp starts and let’s follow this plan.’ It’s been a great plan so far. I feel really, really good.”
He’ll feel even better, presumably, when he signs a new contract. But there’s still a chance that Luck understands his leverage, and that he’s willing to become the first franchise quarterback to play the year-to-year franchise tag game, pocketing more than $110 million from 2017 through 2019 and hitting the open market (and shoving the high-water mark for all contracts to new heights) in 2020.