Andrew Luck shocked the NFL Saturday by announcing his retirement, and it sent Indianapolis Colts’s odds plummeting. The news sent sportsbook operators scrambling to readjust lines for the team, and take Luck off player prop bets.
Six years of physical punishment were just too much for the 29-year-old. He had battled several injuries, most recently a lower leg problem that kept him from practicing and playing in the preseason.
He finished his career with 23,671 passing yards, 171 touchdowns, and 83 interceptions, as well as a 53-33 record as a starter and four Pro Bowl appearances, including last year.
“I’ve been stuck in this process,” Luck said. “I haven’t been able to live the life I want to live. It’s taken the joy out of this game … the only way forward for me is to remove myself from football. This is not an easy decision. It’s the hardest decision of my life. But it is the right decision for me.”
Luck was on the sidelines of Saturday’s game in Indianapolis, as word got out on Twitter that he was retiring. Fans booed the quarterback as he left the field.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hear it,” Luck said. “Yeah, it hurt.â€
Sportsbooks Scramble After News
Meanwhile as news of Luck’s retirement came out, sportsbooks were already changing their lines.
At the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, the Colts’s Super Bowl odds went from 12/1 to 30/1. BetOnline moved the odds to 50/1. The win total went from 9.5 to 6.5.
Circa Sportsbook reported that the odds to make the playoffs went from a yes of -180 to a no of -210. The team’s odds to win the AFC Conference went from 7/1 to 21/1. The yes to win the Super Bowl went from 15/1 to 45/1, and the no from -2800 to -7800.
Fan Duel moved the line of the Colts winning the AFC South from +110 to +700. They even went higher on the squad’s Super Bowl odds, going from 15/1 to 60/1.
On the Golden Nugget’s mobile betting app Sunday, the odds for the Super Bowl were taken off, as was the team’s regular win total and chances of making the playoff prop bet. Bovada had also removed those bets as of Sunday.
Some establishments didn’t act quick enough, and got burned. The Action Network reported that savvy gamblers at the Borgata in Atlantic City, and the Circa Sportsbook in Las Vegas made multiple bets on the under for Indianapolis’ win total while it was still at 9.5.
The Colts are facing the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1 of the regular season and the odds have changed for that game. Indianapolis was a three-point underdog for the road game, but now the line has jumped to 7.5.
Future Uncertain for Colts
With Luck retiring, Jacoby Brissett will take over once again at quarterback. He played the 2017 season when Luck was injured and started 15 games for Indy, throwing for 3,098 yards, with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The team went 4-11.
General manager Chris Ballard told reporters that Luck had approached him early in the week about his decision. They reluctantly agreed, but said all is not lost for the Colts.
We’ve got a good football team. This is a good football team,” Ballard said. “We are good on both fronts. We have some good skill players. And a good young quarterback. We are not going to ask Jacoby Brissett to be Andrew Luck. Andrew Luck was a unique, unique player. But Jacoby Brissett is a winning football player in this league and, I think you heard what Andrew said, Jacoby Brissett is a rare, rare leader. He is. He’s a rare human being, man. That locker room loves Jacoby Brissett.”
