Packers' offseason plan comes into focus
The Packers' decision to trade Colby Wooden for Zaire Franklin sets the table for the rest of the team's offseason.
Good morning!
The NFL’s contract-negotiation window -- better known as the “legal-tampering period” -- opens on Monday. However, the Green Bay Packers have already made their first major swing of the year, trading defensive tackle Colby Wooden to the Indianapolis Colts for linebacker Zaire Franklin. That move sets the table for the rest of the Packers’ offseason.
Today’s edition of The Leap tackles the player swap and what it reveals about Green Bay’s plans for the next few months.
Thank you for reading and supporting our coverage. You can also support our work by following us on social media:
Jason B. Hirschhorn: @by_JBH on Twitter / @byjbh@bsky.social on Bluesky / @by_jbh on Threads
Peter Bukowski: @Peter_Bukowski on Twitter / @peterbukowski@bsky.social on Bluesky / @peter_bukowski on Threads
The Leap: @TheLeapGB on Twitter / @theleap.bsky.social on Bluesky / The Leap's YouTube channel
If you appreciate thoughtful, independent coverage of the Packers and NFL, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support allows us to serve this community with the stories and reporting it deserves.
As always, thanks for making The Leap a part of your day.
The Packers’ offseason plan comes into focus
Jason B. Hirschhorn: One of the major offseason questions facing the Packers concerned their off-ball linebackers. Their primary tandem over the past two seasons has consisted of Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker. However, with Walker’s rookie contract expiring and the team declining his fifth-year option last March, a hole opened in the middle of their defense.
On Friday, general manager Brian Gutekunst filled that void, agreeing to the aforementioned trade to acquire Franklin.
The veteran linebacker had fallen out of favor with the Colts, who transitioned to a different scheme last season under new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. However, that year stands out as an outlier for Franklin, who earned second-team All-Pro honors just the year before and had otherwise held up well in run defense while providing some juice as a pass rusher.
In Green Bay, he’ll immediately slide into the “Mike” role in Jonathan Gannon’s defense. The two have a history, with Gannon working as an assistant for the Colts during Franklin’s first three seasons in the league. Though Franklin wouldn’t emerge as a full-time starter until after Gannon’s departure, it seems reasonable to assume the Packers made the move with consultation from their new DC. It also follows that the team believes Franklin will fit better with Gannon than he did with Anarumo.
Though the Packers hadn’t fully closed the door on Walker returning prior to Friday’s trade, the two sides appeared headed for a divorce for some time. Gutekunst, who a year ago said the team wanted to keep him for 2026 “and beyond,” sounded more uncertain about Walker’s future more recently.
“Obviously, he’s played very well for us in his time here and been an exceptional leader, and losing him would be tough,” the GM said of Walker during the NFL Scouting Combine. “I think we have guys in house that can play and fill in if that’s not the case. But a lot of respect for Quay, and if we’re able to get him back, I would be all for that.”
Cost certainly played a factor in how the situation unfolded. Walker reportedly will find a “strong market“ when the legal-tampering period opens. Meanwhile, Franklin will count a hair over $7 million against the cap this season, including $765,000 in per-game roster bonuses. If he can bounce back to any meaningful degree, Green Bay will have likely upgraded at the position while paying less than it would have cost to retain Walker. The team will also have a chance to recoup a comp pick for Walker next year, depending on a variety of factors.
The trade does come with some downside, however. Even before the move, the defensive line ranked high on the Packers’ offseason to-do list. Losing Wooden heightens the issue. The former fourth-round pick started 16 games and played nearly 600 defensive snaps in 2025. Without him, the interior D-line currently consists of Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, Warren Brinson, Jordon Riley, and Nazir Stackhouse. Two of those players suffered significant, season-ending injuries late last year, two others just finished their rookie seasons, and the remaining D-lineman weighs under 300 pounds.
Between Franklin filling a defensive need and Wooden’s departure exacerbating another, the Packers’ offseason plan has come into focus. The defensive line becomes priority No. 1, and the team has no choice but to throw significant resources at the unit between now and the end of the draft.
The decision to part with Wooden hints at larger defensive changes. Under Gannon, the Packers appear set to shift from the even front employed by predecessor Jeff Hafley to an odd front. Wooden has some experience playing in a 3-4 defense. However, Green Bay needs a true two-gapping nose tackle to anchor the new D-line, and none of their returning players fit that particular bill. The team can only do so much with its three- and five-techs, so with the position room in flux anyway, Gutekunst decided to flip a spare part into a key starter and green dot.
As for rebuilding the interior of the defensive line, the Packers can’t address the problem with just one addition. They also probably can’t completely avoid unrestricted free agency in order to do so given the dearth of viable “street” free agents at the position and the learning curve for rookies. A veteran like D.J. Reader could form part of the solution and, due to his position and 10 seasons of experience, wouldn’t cancel out more than a fifth-round comp pick.
But even if the Packers do add an older veteran like Reader, a long-term solution realistically must come via the draft. With Gutekunst not slated to pick until the second half of the second round, finding an impact D-lineman will prove more challenging. Unless the personnel department believes Warren or Stackhouse will make major strides in their second NFL seasons, Green Bay might have no better option than to take a defensive tackle on Day 2 and double down with another prospect at the position on Day 3.
Of course, Green Bay will still pursue players at other areas of need this offseason, most notably center and cornerback. But they won’t come at the expense of the defensive linemen required to make Gannon’s scheme operational. If the Packers don’t find those big men, nothing else they do will matter.