LB Shaquille Leonard Retires

After seeing his All-Pro career come to an abrupt halt through injuries, Shaquille Leonard is hanging up his cleats. The veteran linebacker has retired as a member of the Colts, the team announced on Wednesday.

Leonard entered the league in 2018 and immediately established himself as one of the game’s top defenders. The former second-rounder was left off the Pro Bowl roster during his debut campaign despite earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. That season also marked the first of three times Leonard found himself on the first All-Pro team.

While playing out his rookie contract, Leonard operated as a full-time starter and avoided any major injuries. Given his production along with a strong track record of availability, it came as little surprise when a record-breaking extension was worked out. In August 2021, the South Carolina State product inked a five-year, $98.5MM pact which made him the league’s top earner for linebackers.

Expectations were high as a result of the deal, but after only one more season with a clean bill of health, missed time became a major problem in this case. Back issues derailed Leonard’s career and limited him to just three games played in 2022. The following year, he saw his workload reduced before ultimately being cut midseason. Leonard caught on with the Eagles, but he handled only a part-time defensive role across five appearances.

Last June, Leonard made it clear he was open to continuing his career while noting his belief his body was healthy once again. In spite of that, no known offers were made and he spent the entire campaign without a deal in hand. After once again going through an offseason with no agreements being reached, Leonard has now elected to move on at the age of 30.

Earning four straight Pro Bowl nods on his rookie deal, Leonard recorded no fewer than 121 tackles per season during that span while adding 11 interceptions and a whopping 17 forced fumbles. He totaled 78 combined regular and postseason games during his injury-shortened NFL tenure while amassing $52.5MM in career earnings.