Zaire Franklin, Green Bay Packers
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Zaire Franklin #44 of the Indianapolis Colts looks on after the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on December 14, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Green Bay Packers pulled off a trade before the opening of the NFL free agency legal tampering window to acquire former All-Pro linebacker Zaire Franklin from the Indianapolis Colts.
Franklin will become a new leader alongside of Micah Parsons with the Packers. He’ll be asked to step in and fill the shoes left by Quay Walker, who ended up signing with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency.
Last season, the 29-year-old linebacker struggled to adjust to the Colts’ new defensive system under coordinator Lou Anarumo. However, before last year, Franklin had been one of the best linebackers in the NFL.
Throughout the 2025 season, Franklin played in 17 games. He recorded 125 tackles to go along with two sacks, a forced fumble, and five defended passes.
Now that the move has been made, Franklin spoke out about his honest thoughts of Parsons.
New Packers LB Zaire Franklin Comments on Micah Parsons
During an appearance on the “Jim Rome Show,” Franklin revealed that the presence of Parsons will make things easier on him.
Absolutely, a pass rusher like Micah Parsons is gonna make everybody’s life a little bit better out there in Wisconsin,” Franklin said.
He also spoke out about knowing that he needs to earn respect with Green Bay.
“We’ve all gotta earn our keep based off what we do,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to earning their trust, and just being a great teammate.”
Franklin also revealed how he’s processing being traded to the Packers.
“It’s definitely a changing of my identity to an extent,” he said.
Those are exactly the words that Green Bay fans wanted to hear. Franklin is known for playing extremely hard and making plays. If he can bring that skill-set to the Packers, the trade is going to be a success.
Green Bay Is Still Missing Important Pieces on Defense
This offseason has brought a lot of change to Green Bay. Just on the defensive side of the ball, the Packers have moved on from Rashan Gary, Nate Hobbs, Colby Wooden, and Quay Walker. More moves could be coming.
Green Bay still needs to address the defensive secondary. Brian Gutekunst made the move to sign cornerback Benjamin St-Juste, but that move alone will not fix the clear issues from last season.
Parsons coming back at full health will be extremely important. He suffered a torn ACL late last season and isn’t expected to be back for Week 1. The Packers are hoping that he could make his return around Week 3 or Week 4.
Fans are hoping to see Gutekunst make a few more moves. If they choose to stand pat and depend on the NFL Draft without a first-round pick, the 2026 season could be rough on the defensive side of the football once again.