INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts once again have taken care of one of their own.
The team has signed linebacker Zaire Franklin to a three-year, $31.26 million extension, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. ESPN’S Adam Schefter was first with the news.
One of the Colts’ defensive cornerstones was heading into the third year of a three-year, $10 extension he earned as one of their core special teams players.
Over the past two seasons, Franklin emerged as one of the NFL’s top inside linebackers.
The 2018 seventh-round draft pick set a franchise record with 167 tackles in 2022, then bumped that to 179 tackles last season. The latter figure ranked No. 2 in the league. Franklin has started 48 of 98 games in his career, including 44 over the past three seasons.
In 2023, Franklin’s teammates selected as the Colts’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
“I feel like each week I prove who I am," he said late last season. “I feel like the way I play the game is getting better and better each week."