Colts released Shaq Leonard

[John Waylon]

30 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

I meant to mention this earlier. @John Waylon this is another reason why the Colts might have had zero interest in renegotiating Leonard's contract. His agent is... unpleasant.

Right, I hadn’t considered having to bring that * back into the fold. He is the one guy in the universe who would have straight face argued Leonard did deserve his full contract and would never come off of it. Just knowing him must be insufferable, dealing with him must be excruciating. 

What a sad journey this one turned out to be. 
 

[rockywoj]

Man, Leonard’s rookie season, I marvelled about him from the getgo and 4 games in said he’s going to win defensive rookie of the year.  His first two season were magical and he kept playing like a star in year 3.  He was deserving of the big contract extension!

 

Then Shaq came along and was never what Darius was. I hoped he could return to form, but once he started airing his grievances in public, I figured he was for sure gone after the season.  A bit shocked it came fast like this, though.

 

What a sad two year ending for a guy that looked like he was going to be a HOF’er.  Hope we can find another like Darius with a 2nd or 3rd rounder, once again.  All the best to Leonard.

[rockywoj]

3 hours ago, NFLfan said:

 

What do you mean? By "didn't do anything", do you mean he was not successful here or that he did not do anything to force his departure?

He was not successful, but he was never used properly.  To boot, he was positionally a bad pick at the time.  OL was the ignored need, as was so often the case.

[2006Coltsbestever]

2 hours ago, hoosierhawk said:

My gracious! Where is 2006? May be grieving  too much to post yet, just kidding😉, but miss your input. 250 posts so far and none from you buddy.

I am here, just don't know how to respond to this. I am shocked we waived him. I didn't see that coming. Now, has he been playing good, NO. I think this was more of a chemistry thing with the coaches, he didn't seem to agree with his role on defense and made it heard. It got him waived. Hopefully in the future, we can use some of that money we were paying him to pickup someone else that is good. Maybe another good WR? I also think with our LBs playing good, it made him expendable. Just my 2 cents.

[OLD FAN MAN]

4 hours ago, NFLfan said:

Is Leonard the next Jerry Hughes? I don't know what caused Hughes to leave the Colts but it seems that fans regretted it. Yes/No?

imo ballard will look bad on this

[OLD FAN MAN]

42 minutes ago, rockywoj said:

Man, Leonard’s rookie season, I marvelled about him from the getgo and 4 games in said he’s going to win defensive rookie of the year.  His first two season were magical and he kept playing like a star in year 3.  He was deserving of the big contract extension!

 

Then Shaq came along and was never what Darius was. I hoped he could return to form, but once he started airing his grievances in public, I figured he was for sure gone after the season.  A bit shocked it came fast like this, though.

 

What a sad two year ending for a guy that looked like he was going to be a HOF’er.  Hope we can find another like Darius with a 2nd or 3rd rounder, once again.  All the best to Leonard.

he may still be a hall of famer just not for us thank you ballard

[Mr. Irrelevant]

1 hour ago, Superman said:

 

I meant to come back to this earlier. I think it's acceptable to decline to comment on an ongoing contract dispute, especially when there's a prolonged standoff. That's the right thing to do. 

 

If Steichen doesn't address this situation -- resolved, major contributor being waived on an off day, etc. -- I'll have a big problem with it. The media and the fans rightfully have questions that should be addressed. He should stand and answer them, not deflect with meaningless boilerplate responses.

 

I'd much rather hear from Ballard, to be honest. 

I do wonder how the locker room is going to react to this one, could be a major test of Steichen behind the scenes. Any take on that angle, Supe?

[#12.]

5 hours ago, Rhodelesstraveled said:

Best move the FO has made in four years.  Now dump/trade Nelson and I am a believer again.  

 

The whole thing with Nelson is weird.  He was headed for the Hall of Fame, but has now sort of become a forgotten man.  He's rarely even mentioned.  People have just been hoping he will return to form, but that doesn't seem to be happening.  

 

Luckily for Nelson, Leonard was so bad it kept the spotlight off of him.  That's now over.

[NFLfan]

5 hours ago, HOZER said:

Pretty awesome for him to still do this….

 

https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/shaquille-leonard-gives-away-turkeys-hours-after-release-from-colts?fbclid=IwAR0T5nZoPMX1Uy9aXBiR-KGknVTPgwLUWVO3R-_yLk4tzi6tuXQtGJLqD9g_aem_AckvH0IjVX8H6_rmxOueXRZ1-98tHDVfhtPDjoFwjKH6LtRg4wBq2fLQFKQI5kMBKVY

 

That's fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

 

His comment that he got "fired on my day off" indicates to me that this was not his decision.

[NFLfan]

6 hours ago, chad72 said:

 

Yeah, here it is, if you want the agony of watching it again:

 

 

 

 

https://www.stampedeblue.com/2013/8/6/4594120/former-colts-first-round-bust-jerry-hughes-suggests-he-didnt-have-a

 

 

The author of that article, Brad Wells, is .  I see why so many fans disliked him.

[ThorstenDenmark]

Shaq was a shadow of Darius Leonard... so I get why they cut him.

It´s sad, but sometimes you have to cut your losses and Leonard just didn't contributed to the team, asn especially not after he got paid.

 

Next man up... Go Colts

[csmopar]

50 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

That's fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

 

His comment that he got "fired on my day off" indicates to me that this was not his decision.

Yep. Which tells me there’s way more to this story than we currently know. 

[csmopar]

So I’ve been trying to research the last time the colts cut a highly paid, current starter, during the season. And the answer to that is…. No one that I can find. Any mid season cuts have been bottom of the roster/depth charts. 
 

there’s been a handful benched and or suspended due to legal issues, some being cut or not resigned after the season. But non mid season.

 

so why now? What was said in that meeting that resulted in this. 

[csmopar]

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2023/11/22/colts-shaquille-leonard-stunned-by-his-release/71672580007/

[NFLfan]

6 minutes ago, csmopar said:

So I’ve been trying to research the last time the colts cut a highly paid, current starter, during the season. And the answer to that is…. No one that I can find. Any mid season cuts have been bottom of the roster/depth charts. 
 

there’s been a handful benched and or suspended due to legal issues, some being cut or not resigned after the season. But non mid season.

 

so why now? What was said in that meeting that resulted in this. 

 

There seems to be some gag order. No one is saying anything, not even the agent.

[NFLfan]

7 minutes ago, csmopar said:

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2023/11/22/colts-shaquille-leonard-stunned-by-his-release/71672580007/

 

Thanks for sharing. He will play for another team. I'm rooting for him.

 

Quote

"I don't like how I was thrown out the door. I gave this organization everything I had, even when I didn't even have it. I gave them everything."

 

[csmopar]

8 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

There seems to be some gag order. No one is saying anything, not even the agent.

Yep. Interesting indeed

[chad72]

1 hour ago, csmopar said:

Yep. Interesting indeed

With Shaq being a big part of the locker room, either Ballard or Gus Bradley will be the target of questions, IMO. Steichen might actually get a mulligan for this one being a first year HC, from a player’s perspective, I’m speaking.

[Defjamz26]

13 hours ago, Solid84 said:

It's just weird to me they won't give their $20m LB a chance to improve.

 

I get the injury concern with the guarantee in his contract, but then bench him and at least let him practice along side the team? Sure, he could get injured in practice as well, but they must've REALLY not wanted to risk paying him those $6.5m to not even give him at a chance like that?

I don’t think it’s that weird. The Seahawks moved on from Wilson who is the best QB in the history of their franchise. Jags moved on from Ramsey. Leonard is fortunate to have even gotten a 2nd contract here because there are countless examples of far better players at more premium positions not getting a 2nd contract. 
 

LB isn’t one of those positions. Plus I don’t think the scheme really needed Shaq. Franklin and Speed have been fine. It’s the NFL and this is super normal, but new to Colts fans. The Patriots made a living off of this, granted it’s biting them in the behind now. But, this is an encouraging sign. All 4 of our notable FAs (Moore, Bkackmon, Pitt, and Stewart) were just put on notice.

 

Its nothing personal against Leonard, but this is an A+ move from Ballard that shows me his growth as a GM.

[AwesomeAustin]

1 hour ago, NFLfan said:

 

There seems to be some gag order. No one is saying anything, not even the agent.

This is 100% speculation but maybe Shaq and his agent made mild threats about an injury that could guarantee his contract next year. There are some that don’t fully believe JT was hurt through training camp and used the injury angle as a hold out.  It could also be Shaq was disgruntled behind the scenes. He was an extremely vocal player and when they make a lot of noise when they are good, chances are they do the same when it’s not going their way.  He could been very mouthy and defiant to the coaches and I’ve seen a few videos of him being very vulgar when he spoke so I could see it being really bad if he is frustrated. I also remember him being an anti vax guy and people said that didn’t sit well with Wentz/Irsay. Again…all speculation and I touched a lot of topics. I have no idea what happened and doubt we will ever know. I still feel like some unprofessional stuff went down bc they cut a team captain mid season

[BeanDiasucci]

2 hours ago, NFLfan said:

 

Thanks for sharing. He will play for another team. I'm rooting for him.

 

 

It probably won't happen, but particularly as an undersized linebacker who's had serious injuries the last couple of years, I think he'd be smart to retire before he does any more damage to his body or brain (he's been out with concussions 6 times in his Colts career) that he'll have to live with the rest of his life. At age 28, he's already made more than $50 million. 

[tfunky14]

I'm not sure why so many are shocked by this. Shaq was an inquired for the last 2 years, hardly played and a high cap hit. 

 

His replacements have done and excellent job, if not better and don't take a large chunk out of the payroll.

 

Only makes sense to move on... 

[DougDew]

13 minutes ago, AwesomeAustin said:

This is 100% speculation but maybe Shaq and his agent made mild threats about an injury that could guarantee his contract next year. There are some that don’t fully believe JT was hurt through training camp and used the injury angle as a hold out.  It could also be Shaq was disgruntled behind the scenes. He was an extremely vocal player and when they make a lot of noise when they are good, chances are they do the same when it’s not going their way.  He could been very mouthy and defiant to the coaches and I’ve seen a few videos of him being very vulgar when he spoke so I could see it being really bad if he is frustrated. I also remember him being an anti vax guy and people said that didn’t sit well with Wentz/Irsay. Again…all speculation and I touched a lot of topics. I have no idea what happened and doubt we will ever know. I still feel like some unprofessional stuff went down bc they cut a team captain mid season

He's been mildly rebelling against "the established policy" for a couple of years.

 

We want you to get vaxxed:  No, I'm not

We call you Darius:  No, its actually Shaq.

We want you to play MIKE:  I prefer my old spot

We are playing other guys:  I need to play more

You're fired:  Wow, they fire me on my day off.

 

Nothing seemed to be a straight yes...and more of a passive aggressive no with a lot of stuff Irsay/NFL/coaching wanted.  

 

When there are other guys to take his spot with cheaper pay, its not that hard to cut Darius.

[NFLfan]

25 minutes ago, AwesomeAustin said:

This is 100% speculation but maybe Shaq and his agent made mild threats about an injury that could guarantee his contract next year. There are some that don’t fully believe JT was hurt through training camp and used the injury angle as a hold out.  It could also be Shaq was disgruntled behind the scenes. He was an extremely vocal player and when they make a lot of noise when they are good, chances are they do the same when it’s not going their way.  He could been very mouthy and defiant to the coaches and I’ve seen a few videos of him being very vulgar when he spoke so I could see it being really bad if he is frustrated. I also remember him being an anti vax guy and people said that didn’t sit well with Wentz/Irsay. Again…all speculation and I touched a lot of topics. I have no idea what happened and doubt we will ever know. I still feel like some unprofessional stuff went down bc they cut a team captain mid season

 

Okay. "Gag order" sounds more serious than what I wanted to convey.  What I meant is that no one is saying anything. It reminds me a bit of Bill Belichick who would not reveal anything to the public.

 

[1959Colts]

11 hours ago, Zoltan said:

Interesting to see Harrison being listed as a LB because he was drafted as a Safety. 
 

I don’t really get the take from Hicks though because Leonard was still grading out as one of our best LBs and especially Olubi was grading terrible. 

Too much is credit given to these internet grades. Just from watching, one could see, Leonard's play was no better than any of our LBs who have played this season.

My guess is Olubi will not be the replacement for Leonard, at least not right away,  he has been used as the backup to Franklin at MLB position.

 

Now that Leonard has been cut, we'll all find out soon enough, how he stacked up in comparison to our other players.

 

I was surprised they cut him, but I'm looking forward to seeing how the defense now performs without him.

All season I felt Leonard was not getting it done, and believed our other LBs, would never get a chance to show if they could do better, due to Shaq's reputation, contract and the Colts blind loyalty.

[DougDew]

1 minute ago, 1959Colts said:

and the Colts blind loyalty.

That's something the Colt/Ballard have tried to sell as an attraction.  I think its a hard thing to sell.  Maybe those days are over now with SS advising Ballard.

[DEColtsLover36]

11 hours ago, Moosejawcolt said:

Hey I am in peak physical shape!! 56 years old and put men half my age ro shame. Would post a pic but don't want this to turning into a Colts dating site lol

First post on here that made me laugh instead of feeling sad about the situation. Needed that!

[throwing BBZ]

22 minutes ago, tfunky14 said:

I'm not sure why so many are shocked by this. Shaq was an inquired for the last 2 years, hardly played and a high cap hit. 

 

His replacements have done and excellent job, if not better and don't take a large chunk out of the payroll.

 

Only makes sense to move on... 

 

 Reminds me of the Myles Jack injury. One could even add Manning.

Leonard has bad tape, a salary he can't earn, and our Colts have young players that can earn new money needing paid. 

 You could even say JT got his $$$. 

 Some bright poster posted weeks ago that he should be sat for the rest of the season so he couldn't pop us next season for that $6.5M of guaranteed $$ he could have gotten for being "injured". Must have been me. lol

 This move was very sound management.

 

[NFLfan]

@DEColtsLover36 You seem sad about this.

[2006Coltsbestever]

11 hours ago, Moosejawcolt said:

Hey I am in peak physical shape!! 56 years old and put men half my age ro shame. Would post a pic but don't want this to turning into a Colts dating site lol

I look like this and still get all the ladies, you can't top that one  

[DEColtsLover36]

8 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I am here, just don't know how to respond to this. I am shocked we waived him. I didn't see that coming. Now, has he been playing good, NO. I think this was more of a chemistry thing with the coaches, he didn't seem to agree with his role on defense and made it heard. It got him waived. Hopefully in the future, we can use some of that money we were paying him to pickup someone else that is good. Maybe another good WR? I also think with our LBs playing good, it made him expendable. Just my 2 cents.

There you are! Finally showed up

This news makes me sad

This team is driving me crazy 

[2006Coltsbestever]

4 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

@DEColtsLover36 You seem sad about this.

The whole thing is shocking more than anything. 1 minute the guy is passing out Turkey's for the underprivilege, then gets kicked to the curb.

[throwing BBZ]

3 hours ago, csmopar said:

So I’ve been trying to research the last time the colts cut a highly paid, current starter, during the season. And the answer to that is…. No one that I can find. Any mid season cuts have been bottom of the roster/depth charts. 
 

there’s been a handful benched and or suspended due to legal issues, some being cut or not resigned after the season. But non mid season.

 

so why now? What was said in that meeting that resulted in this. 

 

 That he would be inactive the rest of the season.

This to me means they wished most importantly to not having a $6.5M cap hit next season if he was hurt during the last seven games. He has delivered next to nothing for his huge income for 2022-2023 seasons. With poor prospects going forward. He may make a quality starter in 2024, I would bet against it. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

2 minutes ago, DEColtsLover36 said:

There you are! Finally showed up

This news makes me sad

This team is driving me crazy 

We can never have a season without turmoil or distraction it seems. Why not just cut him at the end of the season, we still have to pay him this season anyway.

[2006Coltsbestever]

48 minutes ago, tfunky14 said:

I'm not sure why so many are shocked by this. Shaq was an inquired for the last 2 years, hardly played and a high cap hit. 

 

His replacements have done and excellent job, if not better and don't take a large chunk out of the payroll.

 

Only makes sense to move on... 

It is the timing of it, even Stephen Holder thought if it happened, it would be at the end of the season. Not in the middle of a playoff run.

[DEColtsLover36]

7 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

@DEColtsLover36 You seem sad about this.

I know… I’m not doing a good job of hiding it lol. My mom told me the news on my way home from work and I immediately got on the forum when I got home to see what my “Colts family” was saying about it.

I’m sad with the others who find it surprising and/or sad.

I’m sad about the ones who are saying it’s just business and it was time to move on.

I understand all the different points of view given, but it all just makes me more sad the more I read. There have been some players on our team that I grew attached to as a fan, and Shaq was certainly one of them. I don’t care if he was just a cheerleader on the sidelines lol, I would never want to see him NOT apart of the Colts. I know eventually my brain will have to cope with this and I am a Colts fan for life no matter what. Just feeling really down about it is all 

[shasta519]

I knew there was no way that both Leonard and Q would be on this team in 2024. Surprised they waived him in-season...hoping maybe somebody will scoop up the rest of his base salary I guess.

[2006Coltsbestever]

5 minutes ago, DEColtsLover36 said:

I know… I’m not doing a good job of hiding it lol. My mom told me the news on my way home from work and I immediately got on the forum when I got home to see what my “Colts family” was saying about it.

I’m sad with the others who find it surprising and/or sad.

I’m sad about the ones who are saying it’s just business and it was time to move on.

I understand all the different points of view given, but it all just makes me more sad the more I read. There have been some players on our team that I grew attached to as a fan, and Shaq was certainly one of them. I don’t care if he was just a cheerleader on the sidelines lol, I would never want to see him NOT apart of the Colts. I know eventually my brain will have to cope with this and I am a Colts fan for life no matter what. Just feeling really down about it is all 

He simply wasn't playing well, I call it how I see it, even when a Colts player plays bad, and Leonard was one of my favorites. Having said that, I just thought if the Colts did waive him, it would be at the end of the season. He was still added depth at worse on our team which is why I was shocked we let him go.

[shasta519]

36 minutes ago, DougDew said:

That's something the Colt/Ballard have tried to sell as an attraction.  I think its a hard thing to sell.  Maybe those days are over now with SS advising Ballard.

 

I would love to see them stop doing that. Hell, release Q after this season too. Pay $25M AAV for a LG who is maybe top 10 at the position is wild.

 

Off-topic to your post, but I didn't want to dig around 12 pages of comments. I seem to recall a lot of discussions we had about Leonard's body type and how that could impact his career. Got a lot of flack for it too. But I think this could be it for him. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 minute ago, shasta519 said:

 

I would love to see them stop doing that. Hell, release Q after this season too. Pay $25M AAV for a LG who is maybe top 10 at the position is wild.

 

Off-topic to your post, but I didn't want to dig around 12 pages of comments. I seem to recall a lot of discussions we had about Leonard's body type and how that could impact his career. Got a lot of flack for it too. But I think this could be it for him. 

I think Q is playing good this season. Why would you want him gone. Our O.Line has been a bright point all season.