Zaire Franklin is no longer with the Indianapolis Colts. He might be happier, though, as he hasn't been overly excited to be part of the franchise lately, based on statements he makes on his podcast. On Saturday, just days before the start of 2026 free agency, Indy traded the defensive leader to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for defensive lineman Colby Wooden.
Wooden was a fourth-round draft pick in 2023 and has been overwhelmingly meh. He doesn't get pressure on opposing quarterbacks, he isn't great against the run, and for an interior defensive lineman, he misses too many tackles. But for Indy, he saves money.
The trade won't be official until the beginning of the new year, but moving on from Franklin, a player who accumulates lots of tackles, while missing his fair share and providing horrible pass coverage, saves the Colts money. Giving him to Green Bay saves nearly $6 million. Adding Wooden means Indy only applies a cap hit of $1,336,982 for 2026.
Indianapolis Colts trade Zaire Franklin to the Green Bay Packers for defensive lineman Colby Wooden
In fact, Indy could acquire Wooden, release him after the start of the new league year, and save an additional $1,145,000. In essence, the Colts might have saved $7 million in cap room, moving the team past the negative threshold of cap space.
The problem is general manager Chris Ballard. He is having to make moves due to his lack of aggressiveness during the season. Because the team applied the transition tag to quarterback Daniel Jones, Indy was entering free agency under the salary cap.
Even after trading Franklin, who only had a cap hit a bit north of $8 million, Indianapolis is not in a great place. Re-signing wide receiver Alec Pierce is currently out of the question. Indy can't afford it. Even worse, while Franklin wasn't good in coverage, the Colts have no one on the roster to take his place.
Chris Ballard seems like a general manager adrift on the seas of the NFL. He doesn't think far enough ahead to know what he should do next. Getting rid of Zaire Franklin was a knee-jerk decision. And a forced one. What comes next, no Indianapolis Colts fan could know. Sadly, the general manager of the team probably isn't sure either.