The Indianapolis Colts were always considered Peyton Manning's team during the 2000s, but he couldn't do it all by himself. In fact, the Colts had a premier player on the other side of the ball after drafting defensive end Dwight Freeney with the 11th-overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft.
Freeney fit perfectly as an edge rusher in Colts head coach Tony Dungy's famed Tampa-2 defense, earning a spot on the NFL's prestigious 2000s All-Decade Team after posting seven double-digit-sack seasons in his first nine years.
With the star defender's patented spin move, Freeney earned seven Pro Bowl nods in his 16 career seasons, 11 of which he spent in Indy, and totaled 316 tackles (113 for loss), 107.5 sacks (second-most in franchise history), and 44 forced fumbles during his time with the Colts. Freeney tied for the NFL lead in forced fumbles in 2002 (9) and led the league in sacks in 2004 (16.0).
He was named to five All-Pro teams and finished his career with 125.5 sacks (26th all-time) and 47 forced fumbles (third). He also spent time with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers (2013-14), Arizona Cardinals (2015), Atlanta Falcons (2016), Seattle Seahawks (2017), and Detroit Lions (2017).
Behind Manning, Freeney & Co., the Colts won Super Bowl XLI against the Chicago Bears, where Freeney recovered one fumble. The team wasn't as fortunate in Super Bowl XLIV against quarterback Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, but Freeney was even more impactful despite a severely sprained ankle, posting 3 tackles (1 for loss) and 1.0 sack.
For all of his accomplishments on the field, Freeney was inducted as the 16th member of the Colts Ring of Honor back in 2019. He was also named a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist in 2023 in his first year of eligibility but just missed the cut. He was, however, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this year as just the 10th member from Syracuse to join the fraternity.
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