Adetomiwa Adebawore has been off to a blazing start in the 2026 season. He's already matched his 2025 sack total with four, and has surpassed (8) the amount of QB hits he totaled in 2025 (6). He has 19 total tackles in eight games so far.
His dominance on the field earned Adebawore an extension, which he signed Tuesday afternoon.
"I'm really excited to be here for the near future," Adebawore said Wednesday. "Carlie (Irsay-Gordon) has been great with me and with this whole process, so I appreciate her. I appreciate this organization, the people here, my teammates, my coaches. Everyone showed their support."
Adebawore knew an extension could be on the horizon, but conversations with ownership picked up steam over the last week.
Some could say or argue that once a player gets their extension, they've proved themselves and can let up on the gas pedal.
Adebawore views it as the opposite.
"I honestly see this as a challenge," he said. "I'm given the opportunity here. Now, top to bottom, people are believing in me, so I hope to prove them right and do more."
In a struggling season for the Colts, who recently traded defensive cornerstone DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers, having a steady locker room presence is key to keeping players focused and on the right path the rest of the season. Adebawore hopes his extension sets a standard for work among his teammates.
"You got to take advantage of your opportunities," he said "I started off just really on special teams, not really getting a lot of play time, and just put my head down, continued to work and practice scout teams going against the starting offensive line. You know, and it's all paid off, so I continue to work, you know, to just you know keep pushing no matter how it's looking."
When Adebawore was asked why he opted to not test free agency in January, his answer was simple: Indianapolis was where he wanted to be.
"I wanted to be here," Adebawore said. "Carlie came up to me and we went through the negotiations, and I felt very comfortable with the situation."
When pen met paper, the first thing Adebawore thought of wasn't the amount or length of his new deal. Instead, it was everyone who helped him get to that moment.
"The first thing I thought about was my mom and dad and all their support and all the people that kind of poured into me, you know, for this game and just my life in general," he said. "From, you know, just growing up as a kid, high school, my teammates, my friends, my coaches, just people around me supporting me, so it means a lot.
