After losing seven straight games to finish 2025-26, the Indianapolis Colts may need a fresh start. Beginning with an 8-2 record and one of the most potent offenses in the league, the Colts looked to be this year’s NFL Cinderella story. However, injuries to key players and an inability to perform consistently derailed Indianapolis’ season.
With plenty of disappointment in and around the organization, how will general manager Chris Ballard go about reshaping the team for next season?
Significant Changes Coming to Indianapolis Over Offseason
One of the longer-tenured players on the roster, Zaire Franklin, just finished his eighth season with Indianapolis and has proven to be one of the club’s most consistent pieces.
Despite Indianapolis’s 0-7 finish to the season, the Colts’ linebacker is coming off yet another strong year. Regardless of his play, the 2018 seventh-round pick may end up being a casualty in the Colts’ changing of the guard. Colts insider James Boyd addressed the rumors of Franklin leaving the club in an X post.
#Colts GM Chris Ballard would never publicly rip a player, but I think when he also mentions that the defense has to get younger and faster — I’d expect some changes with the front seven. LB Zaire Franklin could be among those changes. https://t.co/LbYAXBjRYd
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) January 8, 2026
In a previous post, Boyd detailed the words of GM Ballard, who said LBs Franklin and Germaine Pratt had “pretty good” seasons.
Following that post, Boyd continued to elaborate, mentioning there may be a subtle undertone in the previous Ballard comment.
“Colts GM Chris Ballard would never publicly rip a player, but I think when he also mentions that the defense has to get younger and faster — I’d expect some changes with the front seven,” said Boyd. “LB Zaire Franklin could be among those changes.”
The 29-year-old re-signed last March and is under contract through the 2028 NFL season, earning $10.4 million annually as part of a three-year, $31.26 million deal.
In 2025, Franklin tallied 125 total tackles, two sacks, and forced a fumble. Using PFSN’s NFL LB Impact metric, this plots the longtime Colt at 37th overall. While this may be the worst finish of his previous four seasons, Franklin remains a steadfast part of Indianapolis’ defense. Taking 1,064 total defensive snaps, the Syracuse alumni ranks third.
Franklin’s counterpart (Pratt) played over 200 fewer snaps but scored solid numbers on the season. The 6’3″ linebacker recorded the second-best finish of his career, ending the season seventh overall on PFSN’s LB Impact metric.
The longtime Cincinnati Bengal had his best game in Week 12, when the Colts fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime. The narrow 23-20 loss saw Pratt boast an A+ grade with a 98 score.
With two veteran linebackers still proving their worth, will Indianapolis look to move one of the two, both, or neither?