Indianapolis Colts Looking To Trade Linebacker Zaire Franklin This Offseason
Eight years. That’s how long Zaire Franklin has bled blue and white for the Indianapolis Colts. He came in as a seventh-round afterthought in 2018. That is the kind of pick teams make and then quietly forget about. He never let them forget. He scratched, clawed, and tackled his way into a starting role, then a Pro Bowl, then a place as the unquestioned heartbeat of the Colts’ defense.
And now? The Colts are taking calls.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Indianapolis is actively speaking with teams about trading Franklin ahead of the start of the new league year on March 11. The move is cap-driven, with the Colts sitting roughly $4.7 million over the $301.2 million salary cap after slapping the transition tag on Quarterback Daniel Jones.
Trading Franklin would free up approximately $5.75 million, which is just enough breathing room to get compliant before the clock strikes midnight on the old league year. Where will he end up?
Why the Colts Are Willing To Move Franklin
GM Chris Ballard was asked about Franklin’s future at the NFL Combine back in February, and he gave the most non-answer answer you’ve ever heard from a man who genuinely likes the player in question. “I think you guys all know my feelings for Zaire Franklin,” Ballard said. He praised the relationship. He praised the passion. He even gently nudged Franklin about some of his more colorful podcast appearances.
What Ballard didn’t say was, “Zaire Franklin is our linebacker in 2026.” And in NFL-speak, that silence is deafening.
The bigger picture here is that Ballard wants to get younger and faster on defense. He’s said as much publicly. Franklin, who turns 30 this year, is an outstanding thumper against the run and a menace as a blitzer. But coverage was a weakness the Colts felt acutely last season.
Franklin posted 125 tackles in 2025, but Pro Football Focus had him missing 21 tackles, ranking him 81st out of 88 eligible linebackers in that department. For a defense transitioning under Coordinator Lou Anarumo, that is a conversation worth having.
What Franklin Brings To a Potential Trade Partner
Franklin has missed exactly one game in his entire NFL career. One. While quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers are dropping left and right across the league, this man has been a poster child for availability and production.
He’s under contract on a three-year, $31.26 million extension he signed before the 2024 season, with zero guaranteed money remaining and a cap hit of roughly $8.25 million. For a team looking to plug a starting linebacker into their defense without paying the free agency premium, Franklin represents genuine value.
The Dallas Cowboys have been floated as a team to watch. New Defensive Coordinator Christian Parker is transitioning Dallas to a 3-4 scheme, and quality linebackers don’t exactly grow on trees.
The Human Side Of the Zaire Franklin Trade Saga
We can talk cap numbers all day. But let’s not gloss over what this actually means. Franklin worked his entire career to become indispensable to this franchise. He wasn’t a first-round pedigree player who coasted on hype. He was a seventh-round pick who outworked everyone in the building until they had no choice but to give him the keys to the defense. He became a team captain. He called plays in the huddle. He was, by every account, the quarterback of the Colts’ defense.
That kind of player deserves more than a quiet offseason phone call that becomes a news ticker. But that’s the NFL for you. It’s a business first, and sentiment runs a distant second when the salary cap spreadsheet starts bleeding red. If Franklin gets traded, he won’t be heartbroken for long. He’ll land somewhere, get back to doing what he does best, and remind whoever let him go exactly what they gave up.
What Comes Next For the Colts At Linebacker
If Franklin is dealt, Indianapolis doesn’t walk into 2026 with a gaping hole. The Colts hold the 47th overall pick in the upcoming draft, and this year’s linebacker class has some promising names. Jake Golday, Kyle Louis, Jacob Rodriguez, and Anthony Hill Jr. have all been mentioned as potential fits. None of them is Franklin, but that’s a problem for the future. Right now, Indianapolis needs cap space, and Franklin’s contract is the most logical lever to pull.
The legal tampering period kicks off on March 9, and once teams can officially start making calls, expect the trade market to get loud in a hurry. A proven Pro Bowl linebacker who barely costs $8 million against the cap? There will be no shortage of interested parties.
