Colts owner warns NFL teams about tampering with Andrew Luck

Team owner Jim Irsay made it clear in a Twitter post late Sunday night following a weekend report from ESPN that the Washington Commanders attempted to find out in 2022 whether the four-time Pro Bowler would consider making a comeback.

Luck retired abruptly in August 2019 at age 29 with three years left on his contract. Irsay even allowed Luck to keep the full $24.8 million in bonus money instead of trying to collect some of that money.

So Irsay responded with a warning.

“If any NFL Team attempted to contact Andrew Luck (or any associate of him)… to play for their Franchise — it would be a clear Violation of the League’s Tampering Policy,” Irsay wrote.

A message left by The Associated Press seeking comment from the NFL was not immediately returned.

Luck has shown no indication he wants to play again and when he returned to Lucas Oil Stadium for the college football championship game in early 2022, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2012 appeared to have slimmed down significantly from his playing weight of 240 pounds.

He’s shown no interest in making a comeback even as the Colts spent years searching for Luck’s replacement.

Whomever starts this year’s season opener will be the seventh different starter in seven years for Indy.

The report came less than two weeks after Indy drafted former Florida star Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick, hopeful he’ll be the new franchise quarterback.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin will use the $9.1 million given to a GoFundMe by well-wishers after his on-field collapse to fund his own nonprofit, the Chasing M’s Foundation.

The decision adds clarity to the 25-year-old’s plan for the unprecedented outpouring of support that he received after his heart stopped following a tackle during a Monday night football game in January.

Hamlin first started Chasing M’s Foundation in May 2020 when he was still a student playing with the University of Pittsburgh. His spokesperson said they applied last month for retroactive tax-exempt status for the nonprofit.

The Kansas City Chiefs will have a hard time replicating the production they got out of last year’s rookie class.

Whether it was first-round picks Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis or seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco, just about everyone in their 10-man class played a part in helping the Chiefs win the Super Bowl.

The first step toward this year’s class living up to that new high bar came over the weekend, when the draft picks joined rookie free agents and select other players in a three-day minicamp.

Felix Anudike-Uzomah, their first-round pick from Kansas State, was somewhat limited in what he could do after having surgery on his thumb before the draft. But even Anudike-Uzomah had a helmet on for the final workout Monday.

The Chiefs cut Frank Clark to save salary cap space, and Carlos Dunlap hit free agency, leaving Anudike-Uzomah to fill a big role in the pass rush.

Rashee Rice, their second-round pick, will be counted on to catch some of the passes that went to JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman last season.

The Chiefs still have Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney and Moore to go with newcomer Richie James, but there are still plenty of balls available for the rookie wide receiver.

The rest of the draft class could also seeing playing time early. Third-round pick Wanya Morris could push for playing time at offensive tackle, fourth-rounder Chamarri Conner could get reps in the secondary and on special teams, while linebacker B.J. Thompson, defensive tackle Keondre Coburn and cornerback Nic Jones will have a chance to earn some playing time.

The San Francisco 49ers have signed quarterback Brandon Allen, defensive lineman Marlon Davidson and tight end Troy Fumagalli to one-year deals.

San Francisco was looking for an extra quarterback for the offseason program with projected starter Brock Purdy recovering from elbow surgery and found one in Allen.

Allen was drafted in the sixth round by Jacksonville in 2016 and has spent time with the Jaguars, Rams, Broncos and Bengals since then.

Allen has played 15 games and made nine starts, throwing for 1,611 yards, 10 TDs, six interceptions and a 78 rating.