The Green Bay Packers are not waiting until free agency to add a linebacker; instead, they addressed the issue in the trade market. The Packers acquired Zaire Franklin from the Indianapolis Colts to seemingly replace leading tackler Quay Walker.
The Packers and Colts agreed to the deal on Saturday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. Green Bay is sending 25-year-old defensive tackle Colby Wooden to Indianapolis to complete the transaction.
ESPN sources: The Colts are trading former Pro Bowl LB Zaire Franklin to the Green Bay Packers.
A former seventh-round pick, Franklin spent eight years in Indianapolis and was an organizational favorite who led the NFL in tackles in 2024 with 173. pic.twitter.com/YdM3BF4du9
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 7, 2026
Franklin led the Colts with 125 tackles in 2025, his fourth consecutive 100-tackle season. He led the league with 173 tackles in 2024 and was second with a career-high 179 in 2023.
Franklin joins the Packers with two years remaining of the four-year, $31.26 million extension he signed in 2024. He is now under contract with Green Bay through the 2027 season.
By trading for Franklin, the Packers are presumably moving on from Walker, who led them with 128 tackles in 2025. Walker is set to hit unrestricted free agency, where he will be among the top linebackers on the market.
A former seventh-round pick, Franklin broke through with the Colts in 2022, his fifth year with the team. He spent his entire rookie deal primarily as a special teams contributor before emerging as a premier run-stopper and tackling machine after top linebacker Shaquille Leonard suffered a season-ending injury.
Linebacker is now of the utmost priority for the Colts in free agency. Indianapolis is now without two of its three leading tacklers, with Germaine Pratt set to become an unrestricted free agent. The contracts of Jacob Phillips and Segun Olubi also expired at the end of the 2025 season.
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