The Green Bay Packers have moved quickly to address the uncertainty on their defense by acquiring Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin in a trade. This is coming as the team faced the possibility of losing its leading tackler, Quay Walker, to free agency next week.

The Packers sent defensive tackle Colby Wooden to Indianapolis in exchange for Franklin, who led the NFL in tackles in 2024. The Pro Bowl linebacker was just a year into the $31.26 million deal he signed with the Colts in 2025, but he doesn’t have any further guaranteed money in the contract.

The deal immediately got Micah Parsons elated ahead of his second season with the Packers. The edge rusher had an impressive year in his first season with the team, despite the season-ending injury. He’s happy the team will be having another top name in place of Quay Walker.

“Oh Shi#,” Parson wrote on X.

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With Zaire Franklin’s signing, it could now be said that the Packers have moved on from Walker. The linebacker is coming off a career-best 128-tackle season, and he’s expected to be one of the best linebackers in free agency. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst expressed the intention to keep him at the NFL combine.

“He’s obviously played very well for us in his time here and been an exceptional leader, and losing him would be tough,” Gutekuns said. “I think we have guys in house that can play and fill in if that’s not the case, but a lot of respect for Quay and if we’re able to get him back, I would be all for that.”

Analyst explains why Zaire Franklin trade makes sense fò the Colts

While eyebrows have been raised in some quarters following the Indianapolis Colts’ decision to trade Zaire Franklin, Cody Felger believes it’s a great decision from the team. The analyst explained why the deal makes sense on “Bring the Juice – Indianapolis Colts” podcast.

“Let’s look at a little bit of the details on why this trade makes sense for the Indianapolis Colts,” Felger said. “First off, obviously, when talking about Zaire Franklin, the player, it’s very obvious, especially last year, the play was not up to standard.

“Zaire Franklin consistently struggled in coverage. Yeah, he may have had a lot of tackles the last couple years, but it was fairly evident that his play had seriously continued to diminish. And not to mention GM Chris Ballard talked all about the fact that the Colts need to get younger, especially in their front seven. They need to get more athletic.”

While Franklin did see his production drop significantly last season, he still ended the year as the Colts’ leading tackler. The linebacker will, however, be looking to put things back together in Green Bay.