Shaquille Leonard waiting on an opportunity to sign with an NFL team

Free agent linebacker Shaquille Leonard is still hoping to play in the NFL this season.

The 28-year-old Leonard told the Indianapolis Star that if a team calls him, he’ll be ready.

“I’m more so just sitting back, getting the body healthy, and whenever the opportunity presents itself, we’ll give it a try,” Leonard said. “I just continue to be me by working hard. If it happens, it happens. If it don’t, it don’t. I think throughout my career I’ve had a great career, even if I do step away from it. . . . I’m enjoying life and just waiting on that opportunity.”

A second-round pick of the Colts in 2018, Leonard was the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year and a three-time first-team All-Pro in Indianapolis. But injuries limited him to just three games in 2022, and during the 2023 season the Colts waived him. He caught on with the Eagles and finished the season in Philadelphia, but there hasn’t been much interest in him this offseason. He’d like that to change, but he’s made peace with it if he doesn’t play again.