Zaire Franklin

Zaire Franklin
Franklin in 2025
No. 44 – Green Bay Packers
PositionLinebacker
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (1996-07-02) July 2, 1996
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High schoolLa Salle College
(Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania)
CollegeSyracuse (2014–2017)
NFL draft2018: 7th round, 235th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics as of 2025
Total tackles738
Sacks10
Forced fumbles10
Fumble recoveries1
Pass deflections26
Interceptions3
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Zaire Najee Franklin (born July 2, 1996) is an American professional football linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Syracuse Orange.

College career

Franklin played linebacker for the Syracuse Orange from 2014 to 2017.[1] While at Syracuse, Franklin recorded 311 career tackles over the course of 48 total games, starting the final 39 of his career. Franklin was a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection.[2] Additionally, he was only the second three-time captain in Orange football history and the first since 1896.[3]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0+1⁄8 in
(1.83 m)		 239 lb
(108 kg)		 31+3⁄4 in
(0.81 m)		 9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.62 s 1.55 s 2.65 s 4.22 s 6.97 s 38.0 in
(0.97 m)		 10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)		 30 reps
All values from 2017 Syracuse Pro Day[4]

Indianapolis Colts

Franklin was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round, 235th overall, of the 2018 NFL draft.[5] The Colts previously obtained the pick used to select Franklin by trading Henry Anderson to the New York Jets. Franklin made his NFL debut on September 9, 2018, against the Cincinnati Bengals, recording one tackle on special teams.[6] He made his first career start at linebacker on September 23 against the Philadelphia Eagles, notching one tackle on defense and another on special teams.[7] In his rookie season, Franklin appeared in all 16 regular season games, starting two, and recorded 29 tackles and one pass defended.[8]

On September 8, 2020, Franklin was named one of the five team captains heading into the 2020 season.[9] In the 2020 season, he appeared in 16 games and started two.[10]

On March 16, 2022, Franklin signed a three-year, $12 million contract extension with the Colts.[11] In the 2022 season, Franklin had three sacks, 167 total tackles (102 solo), six passes defended, and two forced fumbles in 17 starts.[12]

In 2023, Franklin finished the season second in the league with a career-high 179 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and six passes defensed through 16 starts.[13][14] Franklin was ranked 100th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2024.[15]

On March 11, 2024, with Franklin beginning the last year of his contract, the Colts signed him to a three-year extension worth up to $31.3 million.[16] He played every defensive snap for Indianapolis during the 2024 season, recording two interceptions, six pass deflections, five forced fumbles, 3.5 sacks, and a league-leading 173 combined tackles. Franklin underwent a clean-up procedure on his ankle following the season.[17]

Green Bay Packers

On March 11, 2026, Franklin was traded to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for Colby Wooden.[18]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TfL Sfty PD Int Yds TD Avg Lng FF FR
2018 IND 16 2 29 14 15 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2019 IND 16 0 6 4 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2020 IND 16 2 19 14 5 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021 IND 17 11 40 21 19 0.0 1 0 2 1 8 0 8.0 8 0 1
2022 IND 17 17 167 102 65 3.0 12 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2023 IND 16 16 179 107 72 1.5 3 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2024 IND 17 17 173 93 80 3.5 11 0 6 2 4 0 2.0 4 5 0
2025 IND 17 17 125 62 63 2.0 7 0 5 0 0 0 0.0 0 1 0
Career 132 82 738 417 321 10.0 34 0 26 3 12 0 4.0 8 10 1

Postseason

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TfL Sfty PD Int Yds TD Avg Lng FF FR
2018 IND 2 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020 IND 1 0 1 0 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 3 2 1 0 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0

Personal life

Franklin was the Colts nominee for the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his charitable efforts in founding and leading Shelice's Angels.[19] Shelice's Angels seeks "to open doors and provide resources that will help build self esteem while providing positive reinforcement in the lives of young women" and focuses specifically in the areas of technology, community giving, and academic achievement.[20] On his days off from the NFL, he appears on "520 Podcast" alongside NBA Players and Indiana natives Jeff and Marquis Teague.

References

  1. ^ "Zaire Franklin - Football - Syracuse University Athletics". Cuse.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  2. ^ "Zaire Franklin". Cuse.com. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  3. ^ Bailey, Stephen (October 11, 2017). "Syracuse football names 2017 captains: LB Zaire Franklin 1st 3-timer since 1890s". Syracuse.com. The Post-Standard. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  4. ^ "Zaire Franklin, Syracuse, OLB, 2018 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com.
  5. ^ Mock, Brett (April 28, 2018). "Indianapolis Colts Select LB Zaire Franklin with Pick 235 in NFL Draft". StampedeBlue.com. SB Nation. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  6. ^ "Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts - September 9th, 2018-Snap counts". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  7. ^ Walker, Andrew (September 25, 2018). "2018 Colts Rookie Watch: Week 3". Colts.com. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  8. ^ Stano, Ryan (January 23, 2019). "Colts 2018 rookies: Zaire Franklin". HorseShoeHeroes.com. FanSided. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  9. ^ Walker, Andrew (September 8, 2020). "Colts Announce Team Captains For 2020 Season". Colts.com. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  10. ^ "Zaire Franklin 2020 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
  11. ^ Stankevitz, JJ (March 16, 2022). "Colts Sign LB Zaire Franklin To Contract Extension". Colts.com. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  12. ^ "Zaire Franklin 2022 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  13. ^ "Zaire Franklin 2023 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  14. ^ "2023 NFL Defense". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  15. ^ Foster, Amanda (July 23, 2024). "Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin ranked No. 100 on NFL Network's Top 100 Players of 2024". Colts.com. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  16. ^ Erickson, Joel A. (March 11, 2024). "Colts sign Zaire Franklin to three-year extension". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  17. ^ "Zaire Franklin had an ankle procedure, Colts hopeful he'll be ready for camp". nbcsports.com (in Spanish). May 12, 2025. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  18. ^ "Packers announce trade with Colts". Packers.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  19. ^ Stankevitz, JJ (December 5, 2023). "Colts Nominate LB Zaire Franklin For 2023 Walter Payton Man Of The Year Award". Colts.com. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  20. ^ "About". Shelice's Angels. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
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