There are plenty of reasons for the Indianapolis Colts to be excited in the early season. Veteran quarterback Daniel Jones has led the Colts to a 3-1 start before their Week 5 contest against the 1-3 Las Vegas Raiders at Lucas Oil Stadium.
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The home crowd will watch Indianapolis compete to stay atop the AFC South against a Raiders team that has lost three consecutive games, as the Colts are tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the lead in the division. During the game on Sunday, the Colts plan to honor legendary linebacker Shaq Leonard, who announced his retirement from the NFL, per the team’s website.
“Former Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard, a three-time first-team AP All-Pro and the 2018 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, will retire as a member of the Colts this weekend,” wrote JJ Stankevitz with the Colts. “Leonard, who last played in the NFL in 2023, will attend the Colts’ Week 5 game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“He will make his retirement official at halftime with remarks to the crowd from the field at Lucas Oil Stadium, and Leonard, known as “The Maniac,” will also be the Colts’ pregame anvil striker just before kickoff on Sunday. Leonard will also hold a press conference Sunday morning at Lucas Oil Stadium.”
The Colts selected Leonard with the No. 36 pick in the 2018 draft. He was an immediate success in Indianapolis, earning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Leonard was a three-time First-team All-Pro and made the Pro Bowl three times in his career.
Leonard appeared in 75 games and started in 71 games. He recorded 637 total tackles, 16 sacks, 12 interceptions and 17 fumbles in his six-year NFL career. Leonard last played for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023.
Following a back surgery in the 2022 offseason, Leonard suffered a setback during the season. The Colts gave Leonard limited snaps in 2023 before the team waived him in November. The Eagles signed him in December, and he started in three of the five games he appeared in. Leonard was never able to return to the same player he was before the back injury.
Leonard played college football for South Carolina State, where he earned First-team All-MEAC three times and was named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017.
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