Andrew Luck abruptly retired in August, forcing the Colts to move forward for 2019 without him.

It has been a rocky year, with Jacoby Brissett being up and down with his play, and now the Colts carrying four straight losses into Sunday's game against the Panthers.

All of which begs the question: Is there any hope Luck comes back?

"Going into the offeason, we have to proceed as if Andrew is officially retired," owner Jim Irsay told NFL.com recently. "So that's how we operate now."

Luck stopped by the Colts facility in October, hanging around with Brissett and appearing in a photo for social media. He also has a daughter now, Lucy, who his ex-teammates have met.

But Irsay did not sound hopeful at all that Luck return to the Colts to play football again.

When Luck said in August, thanks to a multitude of injuries, "I can't live the life that I want to live moving forward," he meant it.

"With Andrew, at this point I just kind of take him for face value and we'll see what happens because only he can decide," Irsay said. "From talking to Andrew, we have to take him at face value for what he says. So (GM) Chris Ballard and I and (coach) Frank Reich, we have to move forward. And we are with Jacoby and the next draft and thereafter."

As NFL Network's Ian Rapoport notes, Brissett has had his moments, but he's struggled recently. In his last five games, he only eclipsed an 80 passer rating once. Brissett is guaranteed $7 million next year, and he can make an additional $8 million. Still, expect the Colts to be in the quarterback market, perhaps significantly, in the draft to bolster the position.

As for heading into the season planning for Luck, then having him retire, Irsay was clear where he stands.

"From an organization standpoint, no one is going to have a pity party for us," Irsay said. "We had injuries and then Andrew and different things, but we're still fighting in there. So I'm proud of the guys."