Former Colts draft pick and locker room favorite announces his retirement from the NFL, moving on to his life after football
The Colts saw a member of their 2025 team and a former draft pick announce his retirement from the NFL.
A player who spent part of the 2025 season with the Indianapolis Colts is hanging up his cleats, with linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. announcing his retirement.
2025 was far from Walker’s first experience with the Colts, though. He was drafted by Indianapolis in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Walker spent the first four years of his career with the team before leaving in free agency to sign with the Cleveland Browns in 2021. He reunited with the team last season as a member of their practice squad.
On top of being a solid player on the field, he was one of the most respected members of the team’s locker room. One person in particular who grew close to Walker was Shaquille Leonard. The two were considered great friends during their time with the Colts.
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Houston Texans At Indianapolis Colts At Lucas Oil Stadium In Indianapolis In Nfl Week 7 Sunday Oct 20 2019Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Former Colts linebacker Anthony Walker announces his retirement from the NFL
He went on to have a nine-year career in the NFL, and as a day three draft pick, he deserves a lot of respect. He appeared in 101 total games and logged 83 starts during his career, recording 581 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 26 tackles for loss.
While with the Colts, he appeared in 57 games and started in 48 of them, recording 343 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 19 tackles for loss. The best year of his career came in 2019, when he led the team with 124 total tackles and had his career high of 2.5 sacks.
Walker was never a Pro Bowler or All-Pro, but was a respected special-teams player early in his career who worked his way up to become a legitimate defensive contributor for three teams: the Colts, the Browns, and the Miami Browns. Now he enters a well-deserved retirement where he can begin his life after the NFL.
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