A familiar face from the Colts’ past that many view as the one that got away could be a perfect fit to rejoin the team
The Colts would be wise to turn to a player they once let walk in free agency to fill a major need on their roster.
The Indianapolis Colts’ linebacker room feels far removed from the peak of having Shaquille Leonard, Zaire Franklin, and Bobby Okereke playing at a high level together.
The last man standing of that trio is Franklin, with Leonard now retired from the NFL, and Okereke spending the last few years with the New York Giants. The Colts have to find a way to improve their LB room this offseason at any means necessary after a rough showing from the group as a whole in 2025.
They might have the chance to turn back the clock this offseason with Okereke now heading back to free agency. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports that the Giants plan to release the former Colts LB in a cap-saving move.
Former Colts LB Bobby Okereke is heading to free agency after being released by the Giants
The Colts drafted Okereke in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He spent his first four years in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and was a key member of the team’s defense. He appeared in 64 games and logged 49 starts at LB and recorded 420 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, two sacks, four forced fumbles, three interceptions, and 17 pass deflections.
He developed into the Colts’ top coverage LB, and the team hasn’t been able to fill that void ever since his departure in free agency, where he signed a four-year $40 million contract with the Giants. He has spent the last three years there, starting all 46 games he’s appeared in and becoming a captain of New York’s defense. He’s recorded 385 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, five and a half sacks, seven forced fumbles, four interceptions, and 19 pass deflections.
Okereke isn’t being released because his play has dropped off; the Giants brought in John Harbaugh to take over as the team’s head coach, and changes were expected. And in order to create some cap flexibility, they’ve elected to move on from a talented LB.
A lot of the Colts fan base doesn’t think the team should have let Okereke walk out the door. Now they have the chance to right that wrong by bringing him back to improve one of the NFL’s worst LB rooms. It is important to note that while the front office is the same, the Colts’ coaching staff is completely different from when Okereke played in Indy.
So it’s far from a guarantee that he would even want to return. Multiple of his teammates from his time here are still with the Colts, though. Some being DeForest Buckner, Kenny Moore II, Zaire Franklin, and Grover Stewart.
Linebacker Bobby Okereke’s NFL career stats
- Colts 2019: 8 starts, 65 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 2 pass deflections
- Colts 2020: 8 starts, 72 total tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 6 pass deflections
- Colts 2021: 17 starts, 132 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 4 pass deflections
- Colts 2022: 16 starts, 151 total tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 5 pass deflections
- Giants 2023: 17 starts, 149 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions, 10 pass deflections
- Giants 2024: 12 starts, 93 total tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 3 pass deflections
- Giants 2025: 17 starts, 143 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 6 pass deflections
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