INDIANAPOLIS -- During his first extended period away from football, cornerback Xavien Howard pondered what to do with his unprecedented amount of free time the past 18 months.
Injuries and off-field issues affected playing opportunities last season for the four-time Pro Bowl selection. The Indianapolis Colts signed Howard two weeks ago, following his release from the Miami Dolphins in February 2024.
"When you get a lot of free time, man, and you've got money, you can go do some dumb s---," Howard said.
Howard was arrested for domestic battery in 2019, but that case was ultimately not prosecuted. In 2022, a woman filed a suit claiming Howard negligently and knowingly gave her an STD, but she later dropped the suit. A 2024 civil case involving accusations of sharing sexually explicit videos was settled the day after he signed with the Colts, court records show.
"They say a wise man changes and a fool stays the same," Howard said. "Being in Miami as a rookie, coming from Houston and jumping into that, it's a lot. It's a lot on a guy.
"During the time I was there I was balling, but it gets to a point like, 'Man, when are you going to lock in and reach your potential?'"
He said teams were inquiring about signing him last year, but the Lisfranc injury he sustained in his left foot during his final season in Miami was still healing (he opted not to have surgery). There were also the legal issues.
"I talked to my agent and there was team interest, but I'm like, 'I'm not 100%,'" he said. " 'I can't go out there and put that on film.'
"So, I just really just let my body heal up. Then, some legal stuff popped up and [teams] were asking about it and then they stopped."
During his lengthy absence from football, Howard tried to keep busy. He discovered a love for horseback riding and now has a stable of 11 horses at his barn in Texas. He spent more time with his kids in South Florida, doing school drop-offs and pickups and immersing himself in their activities. He also worked as a high school football assistant coach, something that quickly became a passion.
So, both physically and mentally, Howard considers his year away from football as a reset.
He certainly didn't need the money; Howard in 2019 became the NFL's highest-paid cornerback at the time with a $75 million extension. But during Howard's time away from the NFL, he found his desire to play still burned.
"I'm playing for the love of the game," he said.
That was exactly what Lou Anarumo hoped to hear.
The Colts' first-year defensive coordinator has been close to Howard since Anarumo served as Howard's first NFL position coach when Howard was drafted by Miami in the second round in 2016. Anarumo even hosted Howard for a workout with the Cincinnati Bengals last December, when Anarumo was the Bengals' coordinator.
And when Anarumo realized Howard, who has twice led the NFL in interceptions, might be ready to return, he reached out about a possible reunion in Indianapolis. The Colts first hosted Howard for a workout in May, according to a team source, but they decided to delay signing him to allow for a closer examination of their young talent during training camp.
But as the season drew closer, Anarumo had made up his mind: He wanted his former star pupil back on his team. Indianapolis signed Howard to a one-year contract on Aug. 18, with Howard immediately becoming one of the team's most experienced defenders with 99 career starts.
"You could look at it as his legs got a year off to rest," Anarumo joked. "One thing I know is his ball skills and those things, they don't go away with time. And he still has those."
Those skills will immediately be put to the test.
The Colts' initial regular-season depth chart this week showed Howard as the team's No. 3 cornerback, a starter for all intents and purposes alongside opposite perimeter cornerback Charvarius Ward and slot corner Kenny Moore II.
Sunday's matchup: Howard's former team, the Dolphins, featuring the dynamic receiver pairing of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
"I've been practicing and putting in overtime after practice," Howard said, "so, I feel like I'm ready to go out there and compete."
Howard hasn't appeared in a game since Dec. 31, 2023.
"I've been excited to put on this uniform and go out there and compete and show the brass what I can do," he said. "I feel like you can't really just describe it, man. It's just coming out of the tunnel, man. I've been on the couch about a year and a half, so to just get the opportunity to put on the jersey and go out there and compete is everything for me."
At 32, Howard doesn't have much company across the league when it comes to starting corners at his age. But the Colts are counting on his instincts and smarts to carry him through. Quarterback Daniel Jones has seen them from afar and said Howard's anticipation is his greatest strength.
"I think when you see those corners play for a long time and have successful careers, they're obviously physically gifted, but they're really smart football players," Jones said. "They recognize routes, they recognize splits and concepts -- whatever it is. He's one of those guys that can read those things and anticipate it."
The on-field evaluations of Howard will ramp up Sunday. But off the field, Howard sees Indianapolis as a good fit. It's quieter here, he said.
Howard says this is the new start he needed.
"Time to lock in," he said. "I'm locked in and with not that many distractions, you feel me? And I'm 100%. Let's go."