Fans of the Indianapolis Colts were dealt a bit of good news on Monday. Franchise quarterback Andrew Luck made it clear that he wants to sign a long-term contract with the team.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk quoted Luck, who didn’t leave much doubt about his desire to stay with the team:
“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.”
Last month, team owner Jim Irsay said that he hopes to have a deal with Luck signed by July 4.
This is obviously a step in the right direction. With all due respect to quarterbacks like Cam Newton and Russell Wilson, Luck is still the best young quarterback in the game and unquestionably the best asset the Colts have.
With that said, locking Luck up to a long-term deal is just one challenge the team must overcome. Taking steps to ensure his safety is quite another, and that’s something that Indianapolis has done an abysmal job of since Luck entered the league. Since his rookie year of 2012, no quarterback has taken more hits.
While it is true that some of the responsibility lies on Luck, who seems to look for contact at times, a great deal of the blame goes to a porous offensive line and general manager Ryan Grigson. The general manager has done very little to improve said offensive line the past four years. Regardless of who’s under center in Indianapolis, that has to change.
So, while the Colts and their fans should certainly be happy that both Andrew Luck and the front office want a long-term deal, it’s only one of many steps that needs to be taken to give Indianapolis a chance at being long-term contenders again.