Report: Colts make Darius Leonard highest-paid linebacker with five-year, $99.25 million deal

The Indianapolis Colts have locked down one of their young defense’s foundational pieces. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning that it signed Darius Leonard to a five-year, $99.25 million contract extension that will keep him in Indianapolis through the 2026 NFL season.

The Colts announced the signing but not the terms of the extension.

The contract, which includes $52 million in guarantees, makes the 25-year-old Colts cornerstone the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL. Leonard's new deal tops San Francisco's Fred Warner, who recently signed a five-year, $95 million contract extension with $40.5 million guarantees. 

Heading into 2021, Leonard was entering the fourth and final year of his contract and became eligible for an extension at the conclusion of the 2020 campaign. He has yet to take part in training camp this year after undergoing a procedure on his ankle during the offseason, though the expectation is he won't miss much more time. 

A second-round pick out of South Carolina State in general manager Chris Ballard’s now-fabled 2018 NFL draft that also included offensive linemen Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith, Leonard quickly established him as a superstar and one of the league’s top playmaking linebackers. In his rookie season, he led the league in tackles, notched seven sacks and helped the Colts turn a 1-5 start into a 10-6 finish and a playoff berth.

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Leonard was named an All-Pro, and after the season, Ballard said he had a chance to become a Hall of Fame-caliber linebacker. 

“I’ve been around (Brian) Urlacher, (Lance) Briggs and Derrick Johnson, and Darius Leonard has the ability to be every bit as good as all of them,” Ballard said. “He is real deal good and he’s got real deal character.”

Little, if anything, Leonard has done since has sent that projection off course. 

Through three seasons, the rangy, long-limbed linebacker has thrived in defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ defense, reaching the Pro Bowl twice and being named a First-Team All Pro twice. In 2020 he accepted both honors in the same year after totaling 132 tackles, three sacks and three forced fumbles. 

In total, “The Maniac” has registered 416 tackles, 22 passes defended, 15 sacks, seven interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and nine forced fumbles in 42 of a possible 48 games. 

Though Leonard led the league in tackles his rookie season, he’s never cared about them. “Everyone makes tackles; everyone can do that,” Leonard said last year. “What makes you a great linebacker, a great ballplayer is how much you change the game. That’s my M.O. That’s what I have over a lot of linebackers. I’m a game-changer.”

Clearly the Colts feel the same way about Leonard -- a two-time team captain -- who joins quarterback Carson Wentz, center Ryan Kelly and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner as the only Colts signed through at least the 2023 season. 

The team obviously doesn’t see Leonard slowing down anytime soon. Frankly, as long as there remain people in the world who don’t believe he’s the best linebacker in football, that’s a strong bet. Leonard has long used slights, real or perceived, to motivate him both during the season and in the offseason. 

His exploits in this regard are now famous. Leonard still has the Bleacher Report headline referring to him as the “worst pick of the 2018 NFL draft" saved on his phone. He owns cleats that say things like “No Pro Bowl 2019” and “Madden 2020 Rating of 85” printed on them. It is common for Leonard, not long after a Colts game has ended, to scroll social media looking for negative comments made about him and/or his teammates and clap back. 

This past season, Leonard heard Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers tell mic’d up Warner that he was the best linebacker in football and held onto that comment for weeks before using it as motivation to prepare for the Packers. 

For Leonard, these "slights" are fuel. He admits it. He craves the insults. He lives off of proving doubters wrong.

“I need 100% of it," Leonard said. "Some people can get complacent with the things that they have done and for me, I look for – I’m always on Twitter. I look for every bad comment. I look for everybody to just talk trash to me because if someone (is) out there talking trash about me, that means that I’m not good enough.”

This offseason, Leonard has been posting videos of himself on Instagram getting up in the wee hours of the morning to work out. He tags the videos with things like, “If ya eat while they’re sleeping you’ll never have to share what’s on ya plate.”

While Leonard’s on-field contributions largely earned him the extension, his contributions to the community off the field are a big component as well. 

Leonard has proudly spoken out on issues such as racial inequality and mental health. In fact, Leonard, who has said he battles depression and anxiety stemming from the death of his brother, Keivonte Waters, has taken a central role in raising awareness about mental health. Most notably he has joined team owner Jim Irsay as the face of the team’s Kicking the Stigma campaign surrounding mental health. 

Considering all Leonard means to the Colts and their community, it’s no surprise the Colts made it a priority this offseason to lock him up long term. 

“Darius is the leader of that defense in many respects, first and foremost with his playmaking ability,” coach Frank Reich said last season. “We love it when he’s out there and the plays that he makes and the energy that he brings. He definitely gets us going on defense.”

“This guy has been everything you want.”

Follow IndyStar Colts Insider Jim Ayello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram: @jimayello.