4 reasons why Colts should shut Luck down for rest of season

Andrew Luck suffered a setback in his rehab from shoulder surgery Wednesday, and while the Indianapolis Colts refused to rule out the star quarterback for the rest of the season, it would be in the team's best interests to do just that.

Here are four reasons why the Colts should shut Luck down:

Increases Brissett's trade value

The Colts have arguably already won the Jacoby Brissett-Phillip Dorsett trade with the New England Patriots, but they could make the move into an all-time great if Brissett is given the reins for the rest of the campaign.

Thrown in as the starter days after arriving, Brissett has impressed with his composure, leadership skills, and arm strength. While the young quarterback still has much to improve on, it's clear he deserves to be a starter in this league.

If Brissett's former teammate, Jimmy Garoppolo, has a touted value of multiple first-round picks from a two-game sample, it stands to reason the Colts will be able to demand a great haul for a 23-year-old with two years left on his rookie contract and a full season of solid tape.

Ensures Pagano's departure

Even if Luck returns, the Colts are likely to part ways with Chuck Pagano. The longtime head coach always looked like he was being set up to take the hits from a rebuilding year, allowing general manager Chris Ballard to hire his own guy in 2018 with a fresh slate and a healthy franchise player.

And while a turnaround from a 2-4 start is likely beyond Luck's powers, the star pivot's miraculous play in poor situations has saved Pagano's job before.

It appeared it was the end of the Pagano era in each of the last two seasons, only for eccentric owner Jim Irsay to be swayed to keep him. By sitting Luck, the Colts will likely struggle to win more than a handful of games, but they're also guaranteed to rid themselves of a head coach who's held back the franchise for far too long.

Secures top-5 pick

With the Colts at the bottom of the AFC South, and Luck's timeline likely pushed back at least a few weeks by his setback, even his return wouldn't put the Colts back in the playoff picture.

Luck would, however, be able to keep the Colts from imploding in the second half of games and get the team closer to .500 before the end of the season.

This will only hurt Indy's chances of rebounding in 2018.

Each loss, as painful as it might be for the fan base, gets the Colts closer to just their second top-five pick since 2000 and some much-needed elite talent at edge rusher or offensive tackle.

Allows Luck to get fully healthy

It won't matter who the head coach is, how much Brissett can be traded for, or where Indy drafts unless Luck is 100 percent healthy heading into 2018.

The organization already made the critical error of playing him late in the 2016 season, delaying his surgery and therefore pushing his recovery into the 2017 campaign.

The Colts' much-maligned offensive line has been ravaged by injuries, and the $140-million man has no business dropping back behind them if the postseason is out of reach.

There's been nothing to suggest, even with his latest setback, that Luck won't be able to come back and play at his usual Pro Bowl level. But the Colts should give him all the time he needs to get right - even if that means waiting until 2018 to see him on an NFL field again.