The Green Bay Packers had a lot of talent walk out the door this offseason, and one of them was linebacker Quay Walker. While fans weren’t surprised, it doesn’t sound like Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was either.
Speaking to reporters at the NFL’s annual meetings in Phoenix on Monday, Gutekunst revealed that the Packers had long coveted linebacker Zaire Franklin, who was acquired in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts earlier this month. While the move was made before Walker signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, the comments shone a light on the decision to let him go and a calculated risk that came in the trade with the Colts, via The Athletic's Matt Schneidman.
“We’ve liked Zaire for a while, quite frankly, back when he was not starting in Indy in his first few years,” Gutekunst said. “He was a really good special teams player that we kind of tried to acquire, and so he’s been a really good player for a long time, obviously a very good leader as well, (a) captain there."
"So I think as we kind of went down and we realized it was going to be really tough to get Quay back, I wanted to make sure that we had an answer at middle linebacker, particularly one that might have some veteran presence and then we were excited to accomplish that."Brian Gutekunst, Packers GM
Packers’ Succession Plan for Quay Walker Was Years in the Making
Targeting Franklin to replace Walker makes a lot of sense.
Although he began his career as a special teams player, he played well when he got on the field in limited duty, most notably posting a 71.3 overall grade with 20 total tackles in 2021, according to Pro Football Focus. Walker joined the Packers as the 22nd overall pick in the 2022 draft, but the pursuit of Franklin still checks out.
Franklin jumped into a starting role in 2022 and was a solid player with overall grades of 57.0, 60.9, and 61.0 from 2022 to 2024. Last season hit a new low for Franklin with a 38.4 overall grade, but the timing finally lined up when the Packers declined Walker’s fifth-year option last spring.
Comparing the two players’ 2025 performance, Franklin and Walker profiled similarly, and with Walker getting a three-year, $40.5 million contract from the Raiders, it made sense to trade for Franklin, who carried a smaller cap number, according to OverTheCap.
Quay Walker | Zaire Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
PFF Overall Grade | 46.0 | 38.4 |
Total Tackles | 128 | 125 |
Tackles for Loss | 8 | 7 |
Missed Tackle Rate | 6.7% | 13.9% |
Coverage Grade | 40.9 | 29.9 |
The other part of this equation has to do with the future at the position. Franklin can hold down the fort for a year, but if it goes sideways, the Packers can get out for $1.8 million in dead money and $9 million in cap savings with a pre-June 1 release next spring.
By re-signing Walker, the Packers would have been locked in for at least two years, which could have prevented them from adding a younger player at the position.
The Packers do not have a first-round pick, but could have options if Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech) or Anthony Hill Jr. (Texas) fall to them with the 52nd overall selection. But Cincinnati’s Jake Golday or Josiah Trotter are also on the menu, according to NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board. Green Bay also still has Isaiah McDuffie as a key reserve, making it a solid switch.
Franklin’s struggles in coverage are a concern, but they’re not much different from what Packers fans accepted with Walker. As a player bookmarked by the Packers’ front office for years, Franklin could wind up being a savvy move that helps Green Bay compete again next season.