On the eve of free agency, the Packers are bringing in a linebacker.
According to multiple reports, Indianapolis has agreed to trade Zaire Franklin to Green Bay in exchange for defensive tackle Colby Wooden.
Franklin, 29, recorded 125 total tackles with seven tackles for loss and six quarteback hits in 2025. He also had 2.0 sacks, five passes defensed, and a forced fumble.
Franklin led the league with 173 total tackles in 2024, earning his first Pro Bowl berth. He was also a second-team AP All-Pro selection.
Franklin has been remarkably durable in his eight-year career, missing just one game for which he was eligible since entering the league as a seventh-round pick in 2018.
He has two years remaining on his contract.
Wooden appeared in all 17 games with 16 starts in 2025. A fourth-round pick in 2023, Wooden has appeared in 47 career games with 17 starts. He’s entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Green Bay acquiring Franklin likely means the club will not retain pending free agent Quay Walker.
On Wednesday, the Cardinals will release Kyler Murray, the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft. Those inclined to bet on propositions like a player’s next team regard the Vikings as the clear favorites to sign him.
On DraftKings, Murray’s odds have moved from -110 to -295. The next team is the Jets at +350.
The Dolphins are at +550, with the Falcons at +650. The Browns are +800. The Steelers are +1300, the Colts are +1600. The Rams are +2000.
The offensive rookie of the year and two-time Pro Bowler had three solid seasons in Arizona. The next four seasons, which were marred by an ill-advised homework clause and a torn ACL suffered in December 2022, did not go nearly as well.
Making Murray more attractive is the possibility that he’ll do a one-year, $1.3 million contract, with the Cardinals paying him $35.5 million.
The first question is whether he wants to play right away, or whether he’s content to join a team like the Rams as a backup, with the goal of hitting the reset button in advance of 2027. Given his skills, why spend a season on the sideline? He should be looking to play now, with the goal of playing well enough that another big contract will come his way next March, if not sooner.
The Vikings will officially need a new center for 2026.
Ryan Kelly announced his retirement from pro football on Friday.
Kelly, 32, signed with Minnesota last offseason after spending the first nine seasons of his career with the Colts. Kelly started eight games for the Vikings in 2025, but was placed on injured reserve in December after suffering his third concussion of the year.
“Ten seasons,” Kelly posted in his announcement on social media. “What an incredible ride it was. I was blessed to be around some of the greatest people this sport has to offer. I always wanted to leave each place better than how I found it and with that I can hang my hat. Forever grateful for my family and brothers! Cheers.”
The No. 18 overall pick of the 2016 draft, Kelly was selected to four Pro Bowls in his career and was a second-team All-Pro in 2020. He started all 129 games he played in his career.
The Colts are talking with teams about a trade for linebacker Zaire Franklin, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
The team is $4.71 million over the $301.2 million salary cap, according to overthecap.com, and must comply by the start of the league year on Wednesday.
Franklin has no guaranteed money left on the three-year, $31.26 million contract extension he signed before the 2024 season. He is scheduled to count $8.255 million against the cap, and the Colts will save $5.755 million if they part ways.
Franklin, 29, made his only Pro Bowl in 2024 when he led the NFL in tackles with 173 and 3.5 sacks. (Tackles are an unofficial statistic.)
He totaled 125 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and five passes defensed in 2024.
Franklin has missed only one game in his NFL career.
The Cowboys are a team to watch as they need linebackers for the switch to the 3-4 under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
The Colts were trying to keep both quarterback Daniel Jones and receiver Alec Pierce on the eve of free agency.
But unable to strike a long-term deal with either player before Tuesday afternoon, the club elected to place the transition tag on Jones.
That means Pierce — No. 7 on PFT’s list of this year’s top 100 free agents — is now set to hit the open market next week.
While there has been reporting that Pierce could still reach a deal before he’s officially able to speak with other teams, the receiver disputed that notion during a Wednesday interview on Up & Adams.
“At this point now, it’s like, I love Indy. I’ve loved playing there — great organization, great people in the city,” Pierce said. “Just a ton of support. I know we haven’t been as good as we could be, and I know we can be.
“But, yeah, at this point, I’ve kind of earned the right to explore free agency, see what’s out there. Just make a decision that’s best for my career and for my family.”
Pierce, who turns 26 on May 2, has led the league in yards per reception in each of the last two seasons.
In 2025, Pierce caught 47 passes for 1,003 yards with six touchdowns.
