For the Colts, the trade represents an opportunity to shave salary and add depth to a position of need within their defensive line.
Wooden, a fourth-round pick by Green Bay in 2023, started 16 games last season and posted 50 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks. He still has a year left on his rookie deal and will only carry a $1.3 million cap hit. Adding him on the cheap is key for Indy, as well as clearing Franklin’s $7 million cap hit — even if it means losing a longtime contributor — as the Colts were one of five teams entering Sunday still over the salary cap.
Green Bay will now have to run some back to match the cap, but it’s a trade well worth acquiring Franklin, who over the years blossomed from a 2018 seventh-rounder into a centerpiece of 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 best campaign came in 2024, when he made the Pro Bowl by leading the league with 173 tackles. He is the natural replacement for Quay Walker, who Pelissero reported appears to be available after the Packers tried to re-sign him before the trade. Franklin also provides a veteran off-ball point guard for Edgerrin Cooper to continue developing with.
Both teams recognized the need a few days before free agency and took care of it before next week’s whirlwind.