The Packers and Colts swapped a pair of defenders.
Green Bay is trading defensive tackle Colby Wooden to Indianapolis in exchange for linebacker Zaire Franklin, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Saturday.
Rapoport added that the status of pass rusher Rashan Gary, who on Friday posted and then deleted a goodbye to Green Bay on social media, remains unchanged.
For the Colts, the trade represents an opportunity to shave some salary and add depth to a position of need at the interior of their defensive line.
Wooden, a fourth-round selection by Green Bay in 2023, started 16 games last season and contributed 50 tackles, six tackles for loss and three quarterback hits. He still has one year remaining on his rookie deal and will only carry a $1.3 million cap hit. Adding a run stuffer like him on the cheap, plus moving Franklin's $7 million cap hit off the books, is key for Indy -- even if it means losing a longtime contributor -- considering the Colts were one of five teams that entered Sunday still above the salary cap.
Green Bay will now need to maneuver some again to become cap compliant, but its a trade well worth it to acquire Franklin, who over the years blossomed from a 2018 seventh-rounder to a centerpiece on the Colts defense.
Franklin, 29, has appeared in 132 games for the Colts with 82 starts, including 67 of a possible 68 over the past four seasons. His finest campaign came in 2024, when he made the Pro Bowl by leading the league with 173 tackles. He's a natural replacement for Quay Walker, who Pelissero reported appears set for free agency after the Packers made several runs at re-signing him prior to the trade. Franklin also provides a veteran off-ball linebacker for Edgerrin Cooper to continue to evolve with.
Both teams recognized a need a couple days before free agency and took care of it before the whirlwind of the coming week.
