Shaquille Leonard's Top Potential Landing Spots After Surprise Colts Release | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
The Indianapolis Colts waived three-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard on Tuesday.
Leonard was one of the NFL's best defensive players from 2018 to 2021, averaging 158 tackles per season. The 2018 Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year amassed an NFL-high 163 tackles during his first campaign and also forced a league-high eight fumbles in 2021.
Unfortunately, a nerve issue held him to just three games in 2022. He returned in 2023 and managed 65 tackles over nine starts. Leonard's playing time notably dipped, and he primarily played on only first and second downs, per Colts.com writer JJ Stankevitz.
This appears to have been a financially motivated decision by the Colts. ESPN's Bill Barnwell explained why.
Bill Barnwell @billbarnwellThe Colts owe Shaq Leonard $6.1 million over the rest of the season, but this release is likely more about 2024, when he has $6.5 million guaranteed for injury. Indy was probably cutting Leonard after the year and didn't want to be on the hook if he got hurt.
Still, the decision to waive Leonard now comes as a surprise, per ESPN's Stephen Holder:
Stephen Holder @HolderStephenI'm shocked. I assumed it would happen after the season, but never envisioned this. <a href="">
It's highly unlikely a team claims him off waivers, given the remainder of his contract, per Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.
Albert Breer @AlbertBreerThe Colts owe Shaq Leonard $6.11 million for the rest of the year—Almost $1 million per week. No chance someone claims that contract. So he clears, then someone can pick him up at the minimum, with Indy picking up rest of the tab.<br><br>Allows Leonard to make a pure football decision.
The NFL's current waiver order is decided by teams in inverse order of win-loss record. So the 1-9 Carolina Panthers would have the first chance to claim Leonard, followed by the 2-9 Arizona Cardinals, and so forth.
But if he clears waivers and becomes a free agent, then teams should be clamoring for his services. Here's a look at a few teams who are potentially good fits.
