Andrew Luck informs the Colts he's retiring, which is bad for the NFL as a whole, but does benefit the Browns

Andrew Luck shocks the entire NFL with news that he intends to retire per a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter. It's awful news for the league for the Indianapolis Colts, the league in general, but the Cleveland Browns benefit as one of their perspective rivals for the next few years takes a hit.

Per a report from Adam Schefter of ESPN, Andrew Luck has informed the Indianapolis Colts that he is retiring from the league, citing being mentally worn down. Presumably, this is due to the several significant injuries that have impacted his career, including a shoulder injury that took over a year to recover from and a lower leg injury he is reported to be dealing with now.

One of the most touted quarterback prospects ever to enter the NFL, a healthy Luck was a top 10 quarterback with Hall of Fame potential and possibly another decade in front of him. Now retired, the Colts turn to Jacoby Brissett as their starting quarterback, who is capable, talented and has experience, but he isn't Andrew Luck.

This is massive news for the entire league, shaking it to its foundation, but specifically for the Cleveland Browns as they have made huge strides in their talent level and could be on a Super Bowl trajectory over the next few seasons. The Colts stood out as one of the teams built to last and contend with them over as a potential rival for several years.

They have financial flexibility with a ton of salary cap space and young talent locked up for years. Luck gave them a premier quarterback that could take them to a Super Bowl. The Colts are still a talented team that could compete for a playoff spot, but they just don't have appear to have the same elite top end level they do with Luck.

The Browns have to take care of business within their division and win there first, but when looking out a the landscape of teams that could compete for a championship in the AFC, the Colts stood out along with teams like the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens if Lamar Jackson develops into a franchise passer, not to mention the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In a perfect world, the Browns are able to rise up and beat the likes of the Colts with Andrew Luck and everyone at their best, taking down a massive opponent, but this isn't a perfect world and the Colts' chances to compete for a championship drop significantly. The NFL is worse for this news, but nevertheless, it's one more thing working for the Browns.