Andrew Luck clearly had a tough act to follow coming out of Stanford in 2012 as a surefire star and the No. 1 pick. He followed to the Colts Peyton Manning, who won a Super Bowl in 2007 with the team and set a mountainous standard for love of the game.

But it was not just that aspect of Manning which Luck, mostly because of injuries, failed to match. Off the field, Luck spurned the larger-than-life marketing profile that Manning embraced and reveled in as a pitchman. Luck had not just been seen as the next great star coming out of school, but also the next great marketing star.

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“So it comes down to fortunately, or unfortunately for him, he always gets compared to Peyton and what he was able to do off the field,” said Michael Fedele, vice president of marketing for sports drink BODYARMOR, one of the few companies that Luck promoted (he owns equity too). “However folks look at Andrew, a better comparison…not to compare him to (Tom) Brady by any means, because what Brady has accomplished he’s in a class of his own, but (both) definitely stayed away from the kind of larger-scale marketing profiles.

“(Luck’s) done very well for himself in terms of selecting partners and also this is a testament to who Andrew is. He only partners with brands and products that he believed in it.”

Money clearly did not drive Luck, evidenced by his willingness to step away from his contract. But that also was the case off the field as well. He ranked 82nd on Forbes’ June list of the world’s top-paid athletes, with almost all his income from salary. Forbes lists him with $2.8 million in endorsement income; by comparison Brady is at $12 million, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers at $9 million each, Matt Ryan at $5 million, and Drew Brees at $16 million. The one quarterback on the list Luck is ahead of is Nick Foles, who is at $2 million, according to Forbes.

“Historically, Luck’s done OK with endorsements/commercials,” said Frank Vuono, a sports marketing executive who in the 1990s ran the NFL’s Quarterbacks Club, a league-backed licensing and marketing effort for signal callers. “Not a first-liner, but kind of the next tier. After his and the team’s great season last year, he was poised to move near the top of the list assuming he was going to play for the Colts and have continued success. His marketability is now dependent on what he chooses to do moving forward. If he stays somewhat involved in the game and is visible — broadcasting, coaching, acting, assistant to his Dad (Oliver, the commissioner) in the XFL — he may have some continued success. If he retires and rides off into the sunset, he will soon be forgotten.”

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Luck’s significant deals outside of BODYARMOR (he was previously with Gatorade) were with DirecTV and Nike. He clearly could have had more, but chose not to. A renowned Renaissance man — he and his wife are architecture majors who designed their new home — Luck had other intellectual interests not always found in players of his caliber.

When he entered the league, unlike his top pick counterpart Robert Griffin III, Luck spurned all deals. That approach only changed slightly as the years wore on.

“From an endorsement standpoint, that first year, in part because Andrew chose to focus on the immediate; and most recently he chose to focus on making an impact on the field and leading his team and going that route,” BODYARMOR’s Fedele explained.

.@MikeTrout & Andrew Luck wouldn’t do something outdated like a Disco Battle… so why would they drink an outdated sports drink? Thanks @Gatorade, we’ll take it from here. #ObsessedWithBetter

— BODYARMOR (@DrinkBODYARMOR) March 27, 2019

There was some chatter in the marketplace that BODYARMOR knew Luck would retire. Why? Sixteen days before Luck’s Aug. 24 announcement, BODYARMOR signed Baker Mayfield, leading to market questions of why BODYARMOR would sign two Midwestern-area high-profile QBs unless they knew the first was retiring.

Fedele said there is nothing to this, and Mayfield’s deal grew organically out of a youth camp the Cleveland Browns’ star held in early June. Mayfield requested BODYARMOR provide hydration for the camp and liked the drink, Fedale said.

“By no means the bigger partnership came to fruition because we had any knowledge of Andrew’s potential for retirement,” he said.

Luck’s representative, Will Wilson of Wasserman Media Group, declined comment on his client’s marketing strategy during his playing days.

(Photo: Zach Bolinger / Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)