Andrew Luck believes he’ll be ready to play for Colts again in 2018 season

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck returned to Indianapolis and met with reporters Friday after spending most of the last two months in the Netherlands rehabbing his shoulder injury.

Luck, 28, said no medical procedures were done during his time in Europe, but that working with a trainer made his shoulder feel “stronger and more stable.” He hasn’t thrown a football since, but he’s preparing to begin again soon.

The quarterback doesn’t believe his 2018 season is in jeopardy at all.

What happened to Luck’s shoulder? An injury to the Colts quarterback first occurred in Sept. 2015 and continued to be a problem into 2016 when he was reportedly dealing with “labrum fraying” in the preseason.

He played in 15 games during the 2016 season before having a surgery in Jan. 2017 that the Colts believed wouldn’t jeopardize his chances of playing in the upcoming season. The return took much longer than anyone expected and he didn’t return to practice until October.

However, he continued to feel pain in his shoulder during practice and was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 2.

Why did Luck go to the Netherlands? The quarterback told reporters that he felt like he was a distraction for teammates and that he was dealing with too much while he was still in Indianapolis.

“I realized in my mind it was necessary for me to get away,” Luck said Friday. “I was getting pulled in different directions. I allowed myself to become a distraction here. I just needed to keep it simple. That meant getting away.”

He spent his time with a trainer he trusts and has previously worked with while overseas.

What’s next for Luck’s recovery? He told reporters that he’s optimistic about his path back to the field and dismissed any possibility that he wouldn’t play in 2018.

However, he hasn’t started throwing a football yet and there was a noticeable difference between the size of his left and right arms:

He didn’t offer a timetable on his return to throwing.

”I’d like to start as soon as I can. I know that’s a vague answer,” Luck said. “I’m very optimistic. I plan on being ready for everything [in the offseason].”

His No. 1 goal, though, is avoiding anymore setbacks that would cause a longer recovery process. For now, he doesn’t believe he’ll need another surgery on his shoulder and that’ll be ready to participate in OTAs and training camp.

With Luck out for the year, the Colts traded for Jacoby Brissett prior to Week 1 and will finish the season with the former Patriots backup starting for the 15th time. He has proven to be a reliable option for Indianapolis, but the return of Luck is the most important thing for the Colts’ future.

Without him this year, the Colts are 3-12, but there’s reason to be optimistic that the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback will be back soon.