Colts LB Shaquille Leonard Has Season-Ending Back Surgery

According to Ian Rapoport, Colts LB Shaquille Leonard had season-ending back surgery on Tuesday morning. 

Leonard is already on injured reserve but this closes the door on him coming back in 2023. 

The hope is the procedure fixes the issues that have been bothering Leonard for a couple of seasons now. He and the team will now work toward a healthy return in 2023. 

Leonard has had nerve issues in his back that have affected other parts of his body for a couple of seasons now. He had surgery this offseason on his back and was still dealing with the effects of an ankle injury in the spring, which led to him opening the season on the PUP list. 

Leonard, 27, is a former second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of South Carolina State. He was entering the final year of his four-year, $7,247,808 rookie contract that included a $3,351,132 signing bonus when he signed a five-year, $99 million extension.

He’s slated to make base salaries of $6.9 million and $15.7 million over the next two seasons. 

In 2022, Leonard appeared in three games for the Colts and recorded 11 tackles, one interception and a pass defense.