Zaire Franklin was an undeniable leader in the Indianapolis Colts locker room for the last several seasons, but that leadership did not lead to a winning culture. Former Indy punter, and current media star, Pat McAfee kept harping on that issue as well. Now, McAfee has probably had the final word.
After Franklin was traded to the Green Bay Packers this offseason, McAfee said on his eponymous talk show that he was happy with Franklin being sent elsewhere, and that McAfee was "pumped to get along with the locker room."
While McAfee kept chirping about Franklin's lack of successful leadership, the linebacker would sometimes chirp back, though, as one might expect based on Franklin's experience as a player, less successful than the former punter.
Pat McAfee gets the last word in feud with former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin
To be fair, Pat McAfee was spot on in his observations about his former team. He wanted general manager Chris Ballard to be gone several seasons ago, and Ballard probably should have been. Instead, Indy keeps bringing Ballard back even though the team has won an AFC South title in his nine years. The team has only made the postseason twice.
Whatever Franklin was saying in the locker room wasn't working either. Even if a team goes through bouts of awfulness, a team with great leaders won't be down for too long. With Franklin as a leader, Indianapolis was never up. He wasn't a good leader, and the team will be better off without him on and off the field.
The Green Bay Packers, Franklin's new employer after the Colts traded him to the NFC North team for defensive tackle Colby Wooden, should beware. While the Packers might have needed help at inside linebacker, the help they are getting is iffy. Franklin might even be capable of disrupting Green Bay's locker room culture, as he is an outspoken individual.
He also isn't elite in any aspect of the game. He is expected to clean up ball-carriers who have gotten through the line of scrimmage, but he whiffed on 13.6 percent of his tackle attempts in 2025, a terrible number for an off-ball linebacker. He is also atrocious in pass coverage and not a good blitzer.
Maybe he will be a fine fit for the Packers and be better there overall than he was with Indianapolis. Would Pat McAfee offer Franklin an apology if that happens? Unlikely, and he shouldn't. Franklin failed with McAfee's former team, and the Indianapolis Colts' First-Team All-Pro in 2014 has a right to his opinion.