Colts star Darius Leonard pushes for contract extension on Twitter

This comes on the heels of San Francisco 49ers ‘backer Fred Warner signing a monster deal as he prepares to enter a contract year.

But that’s not the only notable move of late that has to have Leonard feeling antsy. His teammate, right tackle, Braden Smith, just got a brand-new contract worth four years and $70-plus million.

As a two-time, first-team All-Pro — wow, lots of hyphens there — Leonard has earned a big payday. However, the Colts are dealing with an unforeseen complication that might delay Leonard signing on the dotted line.

Carson Wentz’s injury might put Leonard’s contract talks on hold for now

Colts quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a foot injury that could require surgery and could keep him out for the start of the 2021 campaign.

What does that have to do with Leonard exactly? Well, Wentz plays the most important position on the field, and is already facing adversity while trying to come back from an awful 2020 season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The cloudy future for the injury-prone Wentz is going to throw off any plans for Leonard — at least in the near term. That’s because Ballard will probably have to scramble to find a decent backup option, because Jacob Eason doesn’t seem like he’s going to cut it as a starter if pressed into duty.

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Indianapolis would love to get something done for Leonard as soon as possible to avoid any lingering tensions. However, the front office is going to be preoccupied for at least the next little while until the QB situation is clearer.

Leonard has seven interceptions, 22 passes defensed, nine forced fumbles, 15 sacks, 26 tackles for loss and 416 combined tackles in three NFL seasons since being drafted in the second round out of South Carolina State. That type of production can’t easily be replaced.

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