According to NFL Network Tom Pelissero and Ian RapoportThe Indianapolis Colts are trading former All-Pro starting linebacker Zaire Franklin to the Green Bay Packers as defensive tackle wooden colby:
It comes after an initial national report. that the Colts were shopping Franklin to other NFL teams earlier this week.
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Given that longtime Colts general manager Chris Ballard has also recently been quite evasive about Franklin continuing with the club.It seemed set for Franklin to be gone sooner rather than later early in the offseason, especially as Indianapolis looks to free up some cap space.
While Franklin was a more polarizing player for Colts fans during more recent seasons, after making public and sometimes “lightning rod” comments on his national podcast, and then not always backing them up with his actual individual production on the field, there is no doubt that he was a career success story.
As a former seventh-round pick by Indianapolis in 2018, Franklin worked his way up the 53-man roster, rising from primary special teams player to full-time starter and ultimately a second-team NFL All-Pro and NFL Pro Bowler in 2024, as well as defensive team captain. He led the league in total tackles during 2024 with 173 total tackles.
Franklin started all 17 games for the Colts last season, recording 125 tackles (62 solo), 7 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 5 passes defensed and a forced fumble. According to PFF, Franklin was their 87th-highest graded linebacker with just a +38.4 overall grade last season.
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Although the Colts will save some cap space with this trade, this move was as much, if not more, because Franklin wasn’t such a natural fit for veteran defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s defense, the team was looking to become younger and faster as the starting linebacker within its front seven, and perhaps (although no one will admit it publicly) even eliminate some of the public distraction that Franklin had become on his podcast.
As for Wooden, the 6.4”, 273-pound defensive tackle was originally a fourth-round pick of the Packers in 2023, who recorded 50 tackles (26 solo) and one pass defended during 17 games (16 starts) in Green Bay last season.
Wooden has one year left on his rookie contract and projects to be a rotational defensive tackle for the Colts.