 Floyd with theChicago Bears in 2018 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 56 – Atlanta Falcons | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1992-09-08)September 8, 1992 (age 33) Chauncey, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school | Dodge County(Eastman, Georgia) | ||||||||||||||||
| College | Georgia (2013–2015) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2016: 1st round, 9th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
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Leonard Cornilus Floyd (born September 8, 1992) is an American professionalfootballlinebacker for theAtlanta Falcons of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theGeorgia Bulldogs and was selected by theChicago Bears in the first round of the2016 NFL draft.
Floyd attendedDodge County High School inEastman, Georgia, where he playedfootball and participated intrack.[1] In football, he playeddefensive end andtight end. Floyd committed to playcollege football at theUniversity of Georgia in April 2011. After high school, he attendedHargrave Military Academy for a year to take classes that metNCAA requirements.[2][3]
Intrack & field, Floyd competed as a thrower. He won theshot put event at the 2011 Region 3AA Meet, recording a career-best throw of 14.96 meters.[4]
As a true freshman in 2013, Floyd started eight of 13 games. He finished the season with 55tackles and a team-leading 6.5sacks.[5] Floyd played in 11 games during his sophomore season, finishing the year with 55 tackles, six sacks, and afumble recovery. In a game against theTennessee Volunteers atNeyland Stadium, Floyd recovered running backJalen Hurd's fumble and ran it back 96 yards for atouchdown.[6] As a junior in 2015, he played in 13 games with 72 combined tackles, 4.5 sacks, threepasses defended, and a fumble recovery. After his junior year, he announced his intentions to enter the2016 NFL draft.[7]
Floyd received an invitation to theNFL Combine as a top prospect in the upcoming 2016 NFL draft. He attended the combine and performed the majority of combine drills before injuring hishamstring while running the40-yard dash. He opted not to perform thebench press and was unable to perform thethree-cone drill andshort shuttle due to his injury. Coincidentally, teammate and fellow linebackerJordan Jenkins also injured his hamstring and was unable to do the short shuttle and three-cone drill.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Leonard Floyd's NFL Combine Workout | |
| Leonard Floyd's 40-yard dash |
On March 16, 2016, he opted to participate at Georgia'spro day and ran drills for representatives from all 32 NFL teams, including head coachesBill Belichick (New England Patriots),Rex Ryan (Buffalo Bills),Dan Quinn (Atlanta Falcons), andTodd Bowles (New York Jets) and general managersThomas Dimitroff (Falcons) andJerry Reese (New York Giants).[8] Floyd added four pounds to his frame prior to his pro day after there were some teams concerns about his thin frame. He performed positional drills, the short shuttle, three-cone drill, andvertical jump. His vertical (35") was four inches shorter than his jump at the combine and Floyd was also unable to do the bench press due to apectoral injury. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Floyd was a possible top ten pick and a consensus projected first round pick byNFL draft experts and analysts. He was ranked as the second best linebacker/edge rusher in the draft by NFL analystMike Mayock, the third best outside linebacker by NFLDraftScout.com, and was ranked the fifth best linebacker in the draft bySports Illustrated.[9][10][11]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft5+5⁄8 in (1.97 m) | 244 lb (111 kg) | 33+1⁄8 in (0.84 m) | 10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 4.60 s | 1.60 s | 2.68 s | 4.32 s | 7.18 s | 39.5 in (1.00 m) | 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m) | ||
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[12][13] | ||||||||||||
TheChicago Bears selected Floyd in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2016 NFL draft.[14] The Bears traded the No. 11 overall pick and a fourth round pick to theTampa Bay Buccaneers in order to move up to No. 9.[15] On May 27, 2016, the Bears signed Floyd to a four-year,$15.78 million contract that includes $15.33 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $9.67 million.[16]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Bears draft Leonard Floyd 9th overall |
He competed withPernell McPhee,Lamarr Houston,Willie Young, andSam Acho throughout training camp for a job as the starting outside linebacker. He was named the starting left outside linebacker, opposite Willie Young, to begin the regular season.[17]
He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Bears' season opener against theHouston Texans and recorded six combined tackles and was credited with a half a sack onBrock Osweiler during their 23–14 loss.[18] In Week 4, he left the Bears' 17–14 victory over theDetroit Lions after suffering acalf injury.[19] The calf injury sidelined him for the next two games (Weeks 5–6).[20] On October 20, 2016, Floyd recorded three combined tackles, sackedGreen Bay Packers quarterbackAaron Rodgers twice, forced the first fumble of his career, and recorded the first defensive touchdown and fumble recovery of his career in the Bears 26–10 loss.[21] During a Week 11 matchup against the Giants, he collected two combined tackles, but left the 22–16 loss in the fourth quarter after colliding with teammateAkiem Hicks while attempting to tackle running backRashad Jennings. During the collision, the crown of his helmet made impact with Hicks and compressed his neck. He was stretchered off the field and taken immediately to the hospital, but was released later that night. Floyd suffered a head/neck injury and a concussion and was unable to play the next week against theTennessee Titans .[22][23] On December 4, 2016, he earned four solo tackles, earned a two sacks onSan Francisco 49ers quarterbacksBlaine Gabbert andColin Kaepernick, and recorded the first safety of his career, as the Bears routed them 26–6.[24] On December 24, 2016, Floyd made one solo tackle, but left the Bears' 41–21 loss to theWashington Redskins after suffering aconcussion. The concussion kept him from playing in the Bears' regular season finale against theMinnesota Vikings. Floyd claimed it took two months to recover fully from the concussion and for all the symptoms to subside.[25] Floyd finished his rookie season with 7.0 sacks, which placed him third among all rookies.[26] He finished the2016 season with 33 combined tackles (23 solo), seven sacks, a forced fumble, fumble recovery, one touchdown, and one safety in 12 games and 12 starts.[27] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[28]
Floyd competed for the starting outside linebacker job throughout training camp against Pernell McPhee, Lamarr Houston, and Willie Young. Head coachJohn Fox named Floyd the starting right outside linebacker to start the season.[29]
On September 28, 2017, Floyd recorded three solo tackles and sacked Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the Bears' 35–14 loss.[30] On October 9, 2017, he collected a season-high six solo tackles, two sacks, and a safety during a 20–17 loss to the Vikings. The safety came in the first quarter and was on Vikings' quarterbackSam Bradford.[31] On November 19, 2017, he earned five solo tackles before being carted off the field after sustaining a leg injury after he collided with teammateKyle Fuller in the Bears 27–24 loss to the Lions. On November 23, 2017, the Bears placed him oninjured reserve for the remainder of the season after he suffered a sprainedMCL andPCL in his right knee.[32][33] Floyd finished the2017 season with 34 combined tackles (24 solo), 4.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and a safety in ten games and ten starts.[34]
On November 4, 2018, Floyd interceptedBuffalo Bills quarterbackNathan Peterman, returning it for a 19-yard touchdown, his first-career interception and second-career touchdown.[35] In Week 10 against the Lions, Floyd made his first sack of the season off quarterbackMatthew Stafford in the 34–22 win.[36] In Week 15 against the Packers, Floyd sacked Aaron Rodgers two times in a 24–17 win.[37] Floyd finished the season with 49 tackles, four sacks, and a pick six.[38] He was named as aPro Bowl alternate.[39]
On May 1, 2019, the Bears picked up the fifth-year option on Floyd's contract.[40] In Week 1 against the Packers, Floyd recorded four tackles and sacked Aaron Rodgers twice as the Bears lost 10–3.[41] In week 9 against thePhiladelphia Eagles, Floyd sackedCarson Wentz once in the 22–14 loss. This was Floyd's first sack in two months.[42] He finished the 2019 season with three sacks, 40 total tackles (27 solo), and one pass defended.[43]
Floyd was released by the Bears on March 17, 2020.[44]
On April 24, 2020, theLos Angeles Rams signed Floyd to a one-year, $10 million contract.[45]
Floyd made his debut with the Rams in Week 1 against theDallas Cowboys onSunday Night Football. During the game, Floyd recorded his first sack as a Ram onDak Prescott in the 20–17 win.[46]
In Week 7 against his former team, the Bears, onMonday Night Football, Floyd recorded two sacks onNick Foles during the 24–10 win.[47]
In Week 10 against theSeattle Seahawks, Floyd recorded three sacks onRussell Wilson and recovered a fumble lost by Wilson during the 23–16 win, later earning him the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award.[48][49]
In Week 17 against theArizona Cardinals, Floyd recorded a sack onChris Streveler during the 18–7 win.[50] He finished the regular season with a career-high 10.5 sacks, which earned him a $1.25 million bonus.[51][52]
In the Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the Seahawks, Floyd sacked Russell Wilson two times during the 30–20 win.[53]
On March 15, 2021, Floyd signed a four-year contract extension with the Rams worth $64 million.[54] In Week 14, Floyd recorded eight tackles and interceptedKyler Murray in a 30–23 win over the Cardinals.[55] In the 2021 season, he had 9.5 sacks, 70 total tackles (37 solo), one interception, three passes defended, and one forced fumble in 17 starts.[56]
Floyd helped the Rams reachSuper Bowl LVI where they defeated theCincinnati Bengals 23–20. Floyd recorded five tackles and one sack in the game.[57]
In the 2022 season, Floyd had nine sacks, 59 total tackles (31 solo), and one fumble recovery in 17 starts.[58]
On March 10, 2023, Floyd was released by the Rams.[59]
On June 5, 2023, Floyd signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Bills, with incentives that could increase the value of the contract to $9 million.[60] In his lone season with Buffalo, he finished with 10.5 sacks, 32 total tackles (21 solo), one pass defended, and one forced fumble in 17 games and 16 starts.[61] Floyd also notably laid the sack on New York Jets quarterbackAaron Rodgers that ended the latter's season just four plays into the season opener.[62]
On March 18, 2024, Floyd signed a two-year, $20 million contract with theSan Francisco 49ers.[63] He started all 17 games in 2024, recording 42 tackles and 8.5 sacks.
On March 12, 2025, Floyd was released by the 49ers.[64]
On March 13, 2025, Floyd signed a one-year, $10 million contract with theAtlanta Falcons.[65]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Sfty | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Int | Yds | TD | PD | ||
| 2016 | CHI | 12 | 12 | 33 | 23 | 10 | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2017 | CHI | 10 | 10 | 34 | 24 | 10 | 4.5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2018 | CHI | 16 | 16 | 47 | 34 | 13 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 4 |
| 2019 | CHI | 16 | 16 | 40 | 27 | 13 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 | LAR | 16 | 16 | 55 | 31 | 24 | 10.5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | LAR | 17 | 17 | 70 | 37 | 33 | 9.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 3 |
| 2022 | LAR | 17 | 17 | 59 | 31 | 28 | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | BUF | 17 | 16 | 32 | 21 | 11 | 10.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | SF | 10 | 10 | 28 | 13 | 15 | 8.5 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Career | 131 | 130 | 398 | 241 | 157 | 62.5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 30 | 1 | 15 | |
