The Colts made their first offseason trade on Saturday, trading former Pro Bowl linebacker Zaire Franklin to the Packers for defensive lineman Colby Wooden. Here’s what national media had to say about the move:
The Colts are seeking to trade Franklin, the NFL’s top tackle in 2024, in part to help get over the salary cap. It also feels like a move for a team that no longer views the veteran linebacker as a good fit under Lou Anarumo. Franklin turns 30 this summer and struggled in 2025 in Anarumo’s first year as the team’s defensive coordinator. According to Next Gen Stats, he missed 13.2 percent of his tackles. The deal saves Indianapolis $7 million against the salary cap next season, and he will have a cap hit of $9 million in 2027. Moving on from the linebacker position creates a hole that the Colts must fill through free agency or the draft. Indy may be forced to spend more money in the market to make up the difference, but getting younger in the midfield appears to be a priority. Wood is cheap, with the Colts spending roughly $1 million this season on a rotational nose tackle who starts 16 games in 2025. He took on a larger role last season, recording a career-high 50 tackles, but also struggled with the stretch, missing 15.3 percent of his tackles. The 25-year-old highlighted the Packers’ offensive struggles last season. In Indy, he should be in the rotation with Grover Stewart, a role he’s better suited for. In Green Bay, Franklin provides a veteran presence in a Packers defense that is expected to lose Quai Walker in free agency. Franklin’s ability to command the defense and run the game should help free up Edgerrin Cooper into a more versatile role. Green Bay is banking on Franklin returning to form after a down season. If the veteran continues to decline, this isn’t a steep price for the Packers. Moving on from Wooden underscores Green Bay’s need to replenish the middle of the defense in free agency and the draft this offseason. For the Packers and Colts, this swap is just the first step in the early part of the offseason. How everyone fills the holes with the remaining moves will affect the outcome of this trade.
Two days after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Colts were looking to trade Franklin to help get over the salary cap, Indianapolis has found a trade partner in Green Bay. The Packers acquired Franklin in a player-for-player trade involving Wooden.
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Franklin, who turns 30 this summer, will likely replace Edgerrin Cooper at guard with Quay Walker set to leave in free agency. Franklin’s deal calls for $7 million in cash in 2026, which the Colts will save and the Packers will absorb. His contract also includes $9 million in non-guaranteed salary in 2027.
Franklin is best known for his 2024 season, in which he led the NFL in tackles (173). That in itself isn’t a particularly good indicator of a linebacker’s skill, and may have overstated his contributions that season, but he was certainly a solid player that year. His metrics dropped last season. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Franklin’s run win rate dropped to the 28th percentile in 2025 (down from 59th percentile the year before), as did his linebacker tackle rate, with a below-average tackle for loss rate.
There are a lot of linebacker options available on the free agent market, although many of them could end up making millions more in salary. Franklin poses some risk if his performance last season was a sign of decline, but if the Packers view 2025 as an outlier, he becomes a player who can fill a need on a very reasonably priced contract.
Wooden is a nose tackle who played 52% of the snaps for Green Bay last season. He is considered a depth piece for the Colts, who already have Grover Stewart at tackle. Wooden, a 2023 fourth-round pick, is in the final year of a contract that will cost the Colts just over $1 million. Stewart is also entering the final year of his contract.
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Trading Franklin allows the Colts to get rid of his $7 million salary and hit the salary cap before the new league year. The Colts should still clear more cap space but are in a better position after sending Franklin to Green Bay. In Wooden, the Colts added more depth on the defensive line, especially in their run defense. According to PFF, Wooden ranks 92nd out of 127 interior defensive linemen, with a 50.6 grade based on them. After starting just one game in his first two NFL seasons, Wooden became a regular for the Packers in 2025, starting 16 of 17 games. The move wouldn’t necessarily be a game-changer for the Colts, but it would allow them to offset Franklin’s salary with a promising young player in Wooden, who totaled 50 tackles and a pass breakup last season. If Wooden doesn’t perform well, he’ll be a free agent next offseason anyway.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts All season long. Get more coverage with IndyStarTV and the Colts Insider newsletter
This article originally appeared in Indianapolis Star: Colts’ Zaire Franklin-Colby Wood trade grade with Packers
