It started with a thumbnail. Most beefs in the modern NFL usually do. You’ve probably seen the clip or heard the noise: Zaire Franklin, the heart of the Indianapolis Colts defense, and Pat McAfee, the punter-turned-media-mogul, going head-to-head in a war of words that felt way more personal than your standard sports talk radio banter.
Honestly, it was weird. Usually, former players like McAfee are the ultimate hype men for their old franchises. But when the Colts started spinning their wheels in late 2024 and early 2025, things got spicy.
The Thumbnail That Started a War
So, here’s the deal. Zaire Franklin and his teammate E.J. Speed have this podcast called The Trenches. It's good. It’s raw. They talk about what it’s actually like to be in an NFL locker room. In November 2024, they dropped an episode discussing how the media—specifically national media—was handling the Anthony Richardson situation. You remember that: the "tapping out" incident where Richardson asked for a sub because he was tired.
McAfee had crushed Richardson on The Pat McAfee Show. He called it "disgusting" and said he'd never seen a healthy QB do that.
When The Trenches posted their response, they didn't just talk. They put Pat’s face right on the YouTube thumbnail.
Franklin didn't hold back. He basically accused media members of "manipulating and gaslighting" fans. He argued that these talking heads scream for one change one week, then scream for the exact opposite the next.
"Do you understand this s*** is written in pen?" Franklin asked during the pod. He was fired up.
Pat saw it. And Pat, being Pat, didn't just ignore it. He went on a legendary rant. He pointed out that since Zaire arrived, the Colts hadn't exactly been a dynasty. He even went so far as to dig up Franklin’s college record at Syracuse.
It was a low blow. Or was it?
McAfee’s argument was simple: If you’re going to bark at the media for criticizing the team, you should probably be winning more games. He mentioned he was done with his suite at Lucas Oil Stadium. He said the culture was "subpar."
That Viral Handshake (Or Lack Thereof)
Fast forward to January 2025. The Colts just beat the Jaguars in a Week 18 game that didn't really mean much for the playoffs but meant everything for the vibes.
As Zaire Franklin walked off the field, he headed toward the suites. He walked right up to the glass of Pat McAfee’s empty suite.
He started shaking hands with thin air.
It was a total "ghost" handshake. He was mocking the fact that Pat wasn't there to see them win. Fans caught it on video, and it went nuclear on Twitter (X). Some people loved the pettiness. Others thought it was "bum ass loser behavior" for a team captain.
The divide was real. You had the "Old School" fans who agreed with Pat that the team was underperforming and the "New School" fans who loved seeing a player stand up for his locker room.
Why This Mattered for the Colts Locker Room
Look, being a captain in Indy isn't easy. You're following in the footsteps of guys like Peyton Manning and Robert Mathis.
Franklin is a tackle machine. He’s broken the franchise record for tackles multiple times. He’s a 7th-round pick who worked for everything. That’s why the "never won anything" comments from Pat probably stung so much.
But here is the nuance most people miss: Pat and Zaire actually respect each other.
Shortly after the "feud" blew up, Franklin went on the record to squash it. He called it "one band, one sound." He admitted he maybe didn't handle the thumbnail thing the right way. He acknowledged that Pat is a legend in Indianapolis and that, ultimately, they both just want the Colts to stop losing.
The Contract and the Pressure
It’s worth noting that this all happened right after Zaire signed a massive three-year, $31.26 million extension in March 2024. When you get paid like a top-tier linebacker, the spotlight gets a lot hotter.
- The Stats: Over 340 tackles in two seasons.
- The Reality: The team was hovering around .500.
McAfee wasn't just attacking Zaire the person; he was attacking the "comfort" he perceived in the building. He felt like players were happy getting paid while the team stayed mediocre. Franklin, meanwhile, felt like Pat was abandoning the "family" when things got tough.
How to Move Past the Drama
If you’re a Colts fan or just someone following this saga, there are a few things to keep in mind about how these player-media relationships work now.
- Podcasts are the new locker room. Players like Zaire don't need a reporter to tell their story. They have their own mics. This is going to happen more often.
- Petty is productive (sometimes). That handshake might have been childish to some, but it showed the locker room was united against the outside noise.
- Winning fixes everything. If the Colts go on a run in 2026, Pat will be the first one back in that suite screaming "For the Shoe."
The "beef" was less about a personal hatred and more about the frustration of a proud franchise trying to find its identity again. Franklin is the "boots on the ground" leader. McAfee is the "voice of the fans." Sometimes those two roles are going to clash.
Next Steps for Fans: Keep an eye on the 2026 training camp reports. The real test of whether this "culture" talk held weight will be how the defense performs in the first four weeks of the season. If you want to see the "real" Zaire, stop watching the highlights and watch the full episodes of The Trenches—it gives way more context than a 30-second clip of a fake handshake ever could.
