Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck told reporters that he never considered returning to the league after he retired.

"When I retired, that part of it was put to bed in my mind," Luck said, per ESPN's Stephen Holder.

Luck was back in Indianapolis on Friday to attend the Chuckstrong Tailgate Gala at the Colts practice facility. He's been gone nearly five years now after his stunning retirement announcement during the 2019 preseason.

At the time, Luck told reporters that the seemingly never-ending cycle of pain and rehab led to him being exhausted and walking away from football. A torn labrum in his throwing shoulder that he had dealt with since Week 3 of the 2015 season cost him all of 2017.

He excelled in 2018, but then trouble emerged the next offseason in the form of pain in his calf and the front of his ankle as well. He didn't participate in an offseason activities from May to August before retiring.

And with that, the career of one of the most celebrated college prospects in the history of the NFL draft ended abruptly.

Looking back on his team and legacy, Luck had this to say, per Holder:

"We were not perfect. I know I was not perfect. All of us wished we'd had multiple Super Bowls and done things and sort of vanquished some of those enemies that we didn't quite ever get to. But I could probably speak for all the other guys, and I know I could speak for myself again -- it wasn't perfect, but we tried our best. We tried our hardest, and I hope we gave folks something to cheer about and something to be proud of. And I do get the sense that we [did]."

Luck has since moved back to Northern California and is in graduate school for education at his alma mater, Stanford. He is also a volunteer coach at Palo Alto High School and a husband and father to two girls.

But he still has a strong connection to Indianapolis after his time there, as noted per Holder.

"I certainly feel like Indianapolis is a massive part of the fabric of who I am and where life has gone and highs and the lows and everything in between," Luck said. "It feels very real. So, yeah, I certainly feel the love, in a sense, from the city and I hope people know it's reciprocal. We love this place."

Luck ended up playing only five full seasons and seven games of a sixth campaign, but he still made the Pro Bowl four times and finished his career with 171 touchdowns in 86 starts, including an NFL-high 40 scores in 2014. Indianapolis also went 53-33 during his starts, making the playoffs four times.

Luck's teams made the Divisional round three times and the AFC Championship Game once in 2014.

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Andrew Luck Says He Never Considered Return from NFL Retirement, Talks Colts Career - Bleacher Report