Andrew Luck's NFL career remains one of the most thought-provoking of recent memory. To this day, the former Indianapolis Colts star is mentioned among all-time greats, a half-decade after his abrupt retirement at the age of 29. It turns out the quarterback's career could have started a lot differently, too.
Like many teams circa 2012, the Philadelphia Eagles "had a really high grade" on Luck coming out of Stanford, according to PHLY's Zach Berman. Despite just signing Michael Vick to a six-year contract extension the year prior, however, the Eagles also "tried maniacally to trade up" for the No. 1 overall pick, likely "hoping that the Colts would bring Peyton [Manning] back" and essentially auction the rights to Luck.
In the end, Luck went to Indianapolis, and the Eagles used a third-round pick that year to draft Nick Foles, who would go on to win Super Bowl LII for Philadelphia, albeit in his second stint with the team.
Funny enough, Luck's predecessor in Indianapolis was also on the Eagles' radar during that time. After Vick's numbers dipped following his career renaissance in 2010, Philly expressed interest in Manning once the longtime Colts signal-caller was released by Indianapolis, as was reported at the time. Manning reportedly wasn't keen on joining the Eagles, however, especially because he would've shared a division with his brother Eli, then the quarterback for the rival New York Giants.
It wasn't until close to a decade later, in 2021, that the Colts and Eagles finally saw their quarterbacks swap uniforms, with Philly trading Carson Wentz to Indianapolis, where Foles also briefly played in 2022.
