Zaire Franklin (44) was a tremendous leader in Indianapolis, something the Green Bay Packers hope he’ll bring their way this season.
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The Green Bay Packers were arguably the most disappointing team in football last year. And perhaps no one did less with more than Packers’ coach Matt LaFleur.
Green Bay headed into the 2025 season with one of the NFL’s top rosters, then traded for star defensive end Micah Parsons 10 days before the year began. Suddenly, Packer Nation was dreaming of their first Super Bowl appearance since 2010.
Instead, Green Bay went a remarkably unsatisfying 9-8-1 overall and was the NFC’s No. 7 seed for a third consecutive year. The Packers then blew a 21-3 halftime lead in the Wild Card round against Chicago, gave up 25 fourth quarter points and eventually suffered a shocking 31-27 loss to the arch-rival Bears.
“No way you should lose games in this league when you’re up that much,” running back Josh Jacobs said.
Green Bay, which began the year 9-3-1, finished the season with five straight losses. The Packers now enter 2026 with the league’s fourth-longest losing streak.
Collapsing late in games was the story of Green Bay’s 2025 campaign.
Green Bay had double digit leads in the final minutes twice against Chicago and also vs. Cleveland and somehow went 0-3 in those games. The Packers’ odds of losing all three contests were 1-in-250,000, yet they somehow did it.
“That (expletive), it’s starting to get damn-near embarrassing,” safety Javon Bullard said.
Rebounding won’t be easy as the Packers were hit hard in free agency and didn’t have a first round draft pick.
Green Bay’s first training camp practice is July 29. Between now and then I will count down the ‘30 Most Important Packers’ heading into the 2026 campaign.
At No. 14 is linebacker Zaire Franklin.
No. 14
Zaire Franklin, LB
Last season
Franklin had a paltry grade of 38.0 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 87th among 88 qualified linebackers. His PFF coverage grade of 29.8 ranked 86th, his run-defense grade of 54.9 ranked 73rd and his pass-rush grade of 57.5 ranked 62nd.
Franklin finished the year with 125 total tackles (62 solo), 19 pressures and 3.0 sacks. He allowed a 109.3 passer rating when targeted in coverage and was charged with 21 missed tackles over the course of the year.
The Packers have had their collective eyes on Franklin for years, though, and traded defensive tackle Coly Wooden to Indianapolis for him on March 11.
“Last year, I mean … like, my career lows are some guys career highs,” Franklin said. “So I don’t understand what that really means, but at the same time, this a year by year league, it’s a week by week league, I gotta go out there and earn it every single year, and every single week, so I’m looking forward to going out there and earning it.”
Career to date
Franklin, who turned 30 earlier this month, started 82 of his 132 career games with Indianapolis. In the last four years, Franklin started 67 of a possible 68 games.
Franklin averaged just 23.5 tackles per season and didn’t have a sack his first four years in the league. When he became a permanent starter in 2022, though, his career took off.
Franklin averaged 173.0 tackles per year between 2022-24. Franklin’s 179 tackles in 2023 are a Colts record, and he led the NFL in 2024 with 173 tackles, earning him a spot in the Pro Bowl and second-team AP All-Pro honors.
Franklin’s play slipped in 2025, though, leading to his eventual trade to Green Bay.
Outlook
Franklin is essentially replacing linebacker Quay Walker, who signed in free agency with Las Vegas.
Franklin is extremely physical, highly durable and has thrived as a “Mike” linebacker. His slippage a year ago should be concerning, though.
Franklin wore the green dot on his helmet during spring practices, meaning he’ll be taking the defensive calls from defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
“First and foremost, you the coach on the field, but that’s just the position I’m most comfortable in,” Franklin said of wearing the green dot. “Making all the calls, making all the checks, I talk constantly, non-stop, and just making sure that everyone is one the same page from a communication standpoint, that’s like one of my strengths. That’s probably the strongest part of my game to be honest with you. So it’s just a great fit.”
They said it …
“I’m just a dog. I ain’t gonna lie to you. That’s just how I like to play. I like to get into issues and make plays and take the ball away. It’s been fun playing with the guys and building that camaraderie.” — Franklin on what he brings to the Packers
“Hell of a person, hell of a player. He’s a guy too that from the leadership standpoint, he’s really going to help us in that aspect, and then obviously his play speaks for itself. He’s a guy that’s going to be around the ball all the time … he makes a whole bunch of plays, and he’s also smart. Even now, like he calls out things before a lot of us do. So just having that type of guy in the middle, that presence in the middle, to be able to be vocal, communicate and be a leader and also go out there and make plays is going to be huge for us.” — Packers safety Xavier McKinney on Franklin
“Zaire’s been awesome. Just a real leader, an Alpha. You can feel him, does a great job communicating. He wears the green dot, and so naturally you’re the quarterback of the defense, and I think he holds himself to a high standard, and he holds those around him to a high standard.” — Packers coach Matt LaFleur on Franklin
“So we drafted Zaire when I was the DB coach (in Indianapolis). So obviously got to know him a little bit. They asked me about Zaire … team first guy, tough as nails, very smart. Obviously has had a very productive career. I’m excited to really have him.” — Green Bay defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon on Franklin