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Dwight Jason Freeney (born February 18, 1980) is an American former professional football player who currently serves as the Director of player development for Syracuse University. Freeney played as a defensive end and linebacker for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), most notably as a member of the Indianapolis Colts. He played college football for the Syracuse Orange, earning unanimous All-American honors. He was selected by the Colts in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft. With the Colts, Freeney won Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears, and made seven . He also played for the San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions.
Freeney finished his college career with 104 tackles (68 unassisted), 34 quarterback sacks, 51 tackles for a loss, and 43 quarterback pressures. He was a first-team All-Big East Conference selection in 2000 and 2001, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American following his senior season in 2001. 2011 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, p. 11 (2011). Retrieved June 24, 2012. He finished 9th in the final Heisman Trophy voting.
While attending Syracuse at a then 255-pounds, Freeney was clocked at 4.40 seconds during his 40-yard dash, and recorded 40-inch vertical jump. His 40-yard time remains among the fastest ever recorded for a defensive lineman.
Freeney still returns to Syracuse for his summer workouts, and serves as mentor to Syracuse players.
Freeney was inducted into the 2023 class of College Football Hall of Fame, becoming the 10th Syracuse player to be selected for the honor.
Freeney set an NFL rookie record in 2002 with nine forced fumbles, three of which occurred in a single game against former Syracuse football player, Donovan McNabb. Freeney was the runner up for the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award to Julius Peppers. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
In 2004, Freeney's third season, he led the NFL with 16 sacks. At the end of his third season, Freeney's season marked him as the 3rd fastest player to achieve 40 sacks. He developed a spin move which became his trademark pass rush move. He was named to his second Pro Bowl and earned first team All-Pro honors for his performance in the 2004 season.
In 2006, Freeney helped the Colts defeat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI to become NFL Champions. He had a fumble recovery in the game. On February 19, 2007, the Colts placed the franchise tag on Freeney following the expiration of his rookie contract. This move allowed Bill Polian and the Colts front office time to work on a long-term contract. On July 13, 2007, Freeney signed a six-year, $72 million contract with $30 million in guarantees making Freeney one of the highest paid defensive players in the NFL.
Freeney was fined $20,000 by the NFL for his expletive-laced interview following the end of the Colts 2008–09 playoff campaign which ended with a 23–17 overtime playoff loss to the San Diego Chargers in the Wild Card Round. The NFL cited Freeney for making "inappropriate comments on officiating," according to the Indianapolis Star. Freeney, frustrated by the three defensive penalties incurred as the Chargers made their game-winning drive, told Yahoo! Sports after the game: "Those were the worst fucking calls I've seen in a long time ... To have a game of that magnitude taken out of your hands, it's just disgusting. It's not like they made one fucking bad call -- it's three calls, in overtime ... They need to start investigating some other shit."
For his performance in the 2009 season, Freeney earned his fifth Pro Bowl appearance and earned first team All-Pro honors for the third time. He was ranked 15th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.
In 2012, Freeney converted from defensive end to outside linebacker under new head coach Chuck Pagano. Due to injury and not adjusting to his position-change well, Freeney struggled and finished the season with only five sacks and 12 tackles.
On February 15, 2013, Freeney was told he would not be re-signed by the Colts. Freeney left as the all-time franchise leader in sacks with 107.5, but was surpassed by former teammate Robert Mathis the next season. Mathis would also break Freeney's franchise season record of 16 sacks the following season, too, when he tallied 19.5.
In 2014, Freeney looked to bounce back from the previous year and did. Throughout the season, Freeney was only used as a pass rush specialist coming out only on passing downs. Against the Seattle Seahawks Freeney sacked Russell Wilson, which contributed to a Chargers victory. The next week, Freeney got a sack against the Buffalo Bills. Against the 49ers, Dwight Freeney and Ricardo Mathews sacked and forced a Colin Kaepernick fumble leading to a Chargers touchdown. The next week recorded one sack against Chase Daniel and the Chiefs. Freeney finished the season with 10 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a pass deflect.
Freeney was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for week 16, in which he had three sacks and a forced fumble, the first time he had three sacks in a game since 2006. Coincidentally, former Colts teammate Robert Mathis won AFC Defensive Player of the Week for the same week. Freeney appeared in nine games during the 2015 season, totaling 8.0 sacks (leading the team) and three forced fumbles.
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
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