Riley Leonard

Career StatsD

Year	Team	GP	Yards	TD	INT	RTG
Career		5	415	2	3	67.7
2025		5	415	2	3	67.7

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Among QB contracts at this AAV tier, Riley Leonard earns a C Contract Value Index. A sixth-round rookie on a four-year deal worth $1.1M AAV is inherently low-risk from a cap standpoint, but Leonard's D-rated performance in his 2025 season—which saw him appear in five games with minimal production—creates a meaningful gap between contract cost and on-field return. The rookie scale structure protects Indianapolis financially, and at $1.1M annually, Leonard is operating at replacement-level salary even if his NFL future remains unresolved. What complicates the CVI calculus is the sentiment disconnect: media coverage has framed him as a genuine developmental story capable of competing for meaningful snaps, and his first career start drew praise suggesting he possesses foundational NFL tools despite the tape showing accuracy and decision-making deficiencies that underscore his early-career stage. The Colts' recent quarterback room additions—signing Easton Stick alongside existing depth at the position—signal organizational caution about Leonard's immediate ceiling while keeping him in the positional battle conversation rather than dismissing him outright. At 23 years old with one season under his belt, Leonard's contract represents fair value for an unproven developmental asset, but the grade reflects genuine uncertainty about whether he evolves into a legitimate backup or settles into organizational filler.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the C band — a quick read on where Riley's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Riley Leonard's tape and counting stats together earn a D performance grade. The 23-year-old sixth-round rookie out of the 2025 draft is operating well below the threshold of NFL-ready quarterback play, with his 2025 season showing minimal statistical production across a five-game sample that exposed fundamental accuracy and decision-making deficiencies. The most glaring concern is his 67.69 passer rating — a metric that captures the full scope of his struggles with touch, timing, and ball placement — which stands as a brutal indictment of on-field execution rather than a small-sample anomaly. Over those five games, Leonard managed -3 receiving yards, a number that underscores his inability to generate any meaningful positive plays in limited opportunities and speaks to execution failures at the most basic level. His developmental profile as a rookie is genuine — he enters 2026 with a clean slate and no established veteran ceiling — but right now he sits firmly in backup-or-cut territory, with no statistical evidence to suggest he can compete for meaningful snaps in an NFL offense. The recent addition of Easton Stick to the quarterback room signals the organization's continued skepticism about his near-term viability, and unless Leonard demonstrates correctable skill improvements during training camp, he faces a genuine roster battle just to remain on the depth chart heading into the regular season.

How Riley Compares at the Position

Riley Leonard ranks 91st of 106 graded quarterbacks by performance. That slots Riley between Bryce Young (D) just ahead and Aidan O'connell (D-) just behind.

Current Sentiment

Recent headlines push Riley Leonard's sentiment grade to a B-, with Indianapolis's broader season shaping the read. The narrative around Leonard has crystallized into something genuinely intriguing for a sixth-round rookie: media coverage frames him not as organizational filler but as a legitimate developmental story capable of competing for meaningful snaps, with his first career start generating praise that he has the foundational tools to sustain an NFL career. This positive framing sits in stark contrast to his on-field performance, where a 67.69 passer rating across five games in the 2025 season revealed accuracy and decision-making deficiencies that underscore his developmental stage—yet the gap between what the public perceives and what the tape shows is narrow enough that the skepticism feels grounded rather than dismissive. The Colts' recent offseason activity—adding Easton Stick, pairing Leonard with Anthony Richardson Sr. and Daniel Jones in a crowded quarterback room, and focusing roster improvements elsewhere—signals organizational caution about his immediate ceiling, but the positional battle headlines themselves keep Leonard in the conversation rather than buried. The bottom line is measured optimism: Leonard enters the 2026 regular season with genuine intrigue in his corner and a plausible path to earning backup reps, but with everything left to prove and no cushion for further regression.