Leonard was a second-round pick of the Colts in 2018; here’s where he could be a fit
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Indianapolis Colts are emerging from the bye week without one of the fixtures to their defense over the last few years. On Tuesday, Indianapolis released linebacker Shaquille Leonard. He cleared waivers on Wednesday and is now a free agent. The former All-Pro confirmed the news on social media with a post saying his farewell to the franchise and the city.
“Indy, I want to thank you for accepting me and my family with open arms,” Leonard wrote. “These past six years has been nothing but incredible! Through the good times and bad time y’all stood by my side. I apologize for not bringing that trophy back to the 317. The energy at Lucas Oil has been nothing but amazing and I thank you for every memory. I’m thankful to play for such an amazing fan base. I love you guys and wish the Colts nothing but the best!”
Colts owner Jim Irsay also took to social media in the aftermath of the move to reminisce about Leonard’s tenure, while also acknowledging that the NFL is a “tough business.”
“Colts Nation will always remember The Maniac’s palpable energy on the field with each tackle, interception, punchout, and fumble recovery,” Irsay said in a statement. “Off the field, he’s a servant leader and assisted numerous families in both his hometown and the Indianapolis community. We’re thankful for Shaq and the contributions he made to our organization. We wish him and his beautiful family the best moving forward.”
Leonard — who requested to go by his middle name, Shaquille, over his first name, Darius, in 2022 — arrived in Indianapolis in 2018 as a second-round draft pick out of South Carolina State. He immediately made an impact for the Colts, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year after leading the league in tackles. Over his tenure, he was a first-team All-Pro three times and named to the Pro Bowl four times.
In recent seasons, however, injuries have plagued Leonard. He was limited to just three games in 2022 due to offseason back surgery, suffering a concussion in Week 4 of that year, and then was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season in Week 10 after suffering a setback with his back injury. Leonard has been able to suit up and start in nine games for the Colts this season and has posted 65 tackles.
It was unlikely that a team was going to claim Leonard off waivers and absorb his current contract. If a team did, they would’ve owed him roughly $6 million in base salary for the rest of this season and north of $13 million per season (including $19 million in 2026) over the next three seasons. It was much more realistic for this situation to unfold where he is now free to sign a more palatable deal with a new club since he cleared waivers. 
Landing spots
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys appear to be in the market for a linebacker since Mike McCarthy’s team does have a need at that position. They lost third-round rookie DeMarvion Overshown to a torn ACL in training camp, and the Cowboys were left even thinner in the aftermath of losing Leighton Vander Esch for the season due to a neck injury. Dallas now represents an opportunity for Leonard to join a Super Bowl contender where he can come in and fill a substantial role for one of the top defenses in the NFL. The opportunity to sign Leonard is something team owner and general manager Jerry Jones is contemplating.
“We’ll see, we’ll see,” Jones said after the Cowboys rout over Washington on Thanksgiving. “I’m not trying to be coy. I really don’t know right now. Contact has been made, but I’m sure every team is assuming that if they are in the hunt, they could have an interest in him. First, we have some questions we need to check on health-wise, things like that. I don’t, right now, want to be on that list. I want to go do our homework and do what we should be doing and see if this thing might fit us. We’ve done no more than that.”
Jones also declined to elaborate much on the degree of how he could help his defense if signed.
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