The Indianapolis Colts suffered another lost season in 2025. No one would have guessed that after the first eight weeks, when the team stood 7-1 after playing a fairly easy schedule. Still, Indy was blowing teams out, and that implied the team could consistently defeat better ones, too.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen. After losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17, Indianapolis has now lost six straight games, and seven of eight. The record started to get worse even before quarterback Daniel Jones was injured. Instead, the poor play of some veterans who were previously thought to be reliable has hurt the team. That includes linebacker Zaire Franklin.
Franklin has played his way into the kind of player who will long be revered by Colts fans even after he has retired. He has given everything to the organization. Indy might need to upgrade his position, though.
Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin might need to go
Franklin is a good leader in the locker room, but he hasn't consistently been a great player on the field. Even though he has been with the team for eight seasons, he's only been a full-time starter for the last four. He made the Pro Bowl in 2024 when he led the NFL with 173 tackles.
But he also misses far too many tackles. In the last four years, he has missed at least 11.6 percent of his tackle attempts, not a great number for an inside linebacker whose main priority is to eat up ball-carriers after the defensive line has preoccupied blockers.
In 2024, Franklin has whiffed on a career-high 12.9 percent. He's also trending toward far fewer run stuffs (stops at the line of scrimmage) this season.
After having at least 54 in the previous three seasons, he has just 34 this year. While Lou Anarumo's system devalues off-ball linebackers, that doesn't mean the position doesn't play an important role against the run.
But the linebacker's most glaring weakness is in pass coverage. He's always been bad in that area, and 2025 is no different. He has allowed 79.1 percent of his targets to be completed, with 303 yards of the 540 he has given up to come after the catch.
What cannot be questioned is Franklin's toughness. He will absolutely play his hardest throughout every game. The truth is, though, that the Indianapolis Colts simply need to get more athletic at inside linebacker than what Franklin can offer.
He is currently signed through 2027, and his contract isn't overly expensive. His cap hit doesn't exceed $10 million until 2027, when it is only $10.255 million. Should the team release him in the coming offseason, the Colts would save just north of $7 million. That could go a long way toward re-signing a more valuable player, such as wide receiver Alec Pierce.