INDIANAPOLIS — The room fell silent as Zaire Franklin grabbed the mic. The Indianapolis Colts linebacker was the guest speaker at a fundraising event at Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis during the NFL Combine, and while the atmosphere was mostly lighthearted, he’d just been asked a serious question in front of dozens of Colts fans: Do you believe you deserve a raise?
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Franklin, who is entering the final year of a three-year, $10 million extension he signed in 2022, gave a serious answer.
“At the time when I did my deal (two) years ago, I signed for what I was, one of the best special teamers in the league. That’s what they were paying me to do,” Franklin said. “But since then, I’ve become one of the top linebackers in the league. Just with my role on this team, how much I love this city, how much I love this organization … hopefully it’s something they’re willing and able to (do to) show their appreciation back.”
Two weeks later, Franklin got his wish, agreeing to a three-year, $31.3 million extension Monday, a league source told The Athletic. ESPN was the first to report the news.
Franklin’s payday adds to his remarkable ascension from inner-city Philadelphia, where he was raised by his late mother and late grandmother, into the Colts record books. The former seventh-round pick clawed his way up the depth chart throughout his first six years with the franchise, and he’s set the team’s single-season tackle record in back-to-back years with 167 in 2022 and 179 in 2023. One of those tackles came on a crucial fourth-down stop last year against former Tennessee Titans star running back Derrick Henry, which prompted Franklin to perhaps foreshadow his new deal.
“One-on-one in the hole with supposedly the best running back in the league, and I won,” Franklin said after the Week 5 win. “So, what that make me?”
Franklin’s status among the NFL’s premier linebackers is still up for debate, but his impact on the Colts is not. He’s undoubtedly Indianapolis’ best linebacker, and he’s seamlessly embraced his increased role ever since four-time All-Pro linebacker Shaq Leonard began having back issues and was eventually cut midseason. In addition to his prolific tackling, Franklin has recorded 12 pass breakups, four forced fumbles, 15 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks across the last two years.
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Standout wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. remains the Colts’ top offseason priority after receiving the non-exclusive franchise tag last week. Indianapolis has until July 15 to sign him to a long-term deal. However, as the Colts continue negotiating with Pittman, rewarding Franklin with a new deal falls right in line with what general manager Chris Ballard and owner Jim Irsay have done in the past. Running back Jonathan Taylor, left guard Quenton Nelson, right tackle Braden Smith and center Ryan Kelly all received lucrative contract extensions in recent years after outplaying their old ones.
“I got this quote that I go by, and it’s a story about two farmers,” Franklin said a couple of weeks ago. “They both were in a drought, and they both prayed for rain. One of them went out and prepared the field for rain, and the other one just kind of waited on God to make something happen. The answer to the story is, which farmer do you think got rain? The one that prepared for rain or the one that just waited for something to happen?”
Franklin considers himself the former, and after years of preparing for rain, the Colts finally made it pour.
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(Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)