Colts' Franklin eager to play Stroud: 'I need to see that boy'

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin has his sights set on the reigning AFC South champion Houston Texans and star quarterback C.J. Stroud after the two engaged in some trash talk.

"I'm not going to lie to you, I like C.J., man," Franklin said on the "Green Light with Chris Long" podcast. "I support all our young brothers at quarterback, but C.J., he done said a lot of wild stuff to me in our run-ins."

"I need to see that boy," Franklin added.

The rivalry between the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year and Franklin appeared to escalate when the two ran into each other on press row for Super Bowl LVIII. Stroud said that he "cooked" the Colts in both of the Texans' wins last season.

Stroud was productive in his first matchup against the Colts in Week 2 of last season, passing for 384 yards and two touchdowns, while completing 63.8% of his pass attempts. The Texans lost that game, but Houston got the last laugh in their Week 18 rematch, taking the victory behind Stroud's 264 passing yards.

Franklin, however, dismissed Stroud's performances, as neither contest featured a full game of Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson. Indianapolis' 2023 first-round pick sustained a concussion in the first meeting between the two teams and was sidelined with a season-ending shoulder injury during their second meeting.

"I was like, if that's what you consider a cooking with the loss, I mean, congratulations," Franklin said. "Then I have to remind him as well that he's never beaten Anthony."

Franklin led the Colts with a career-high 179 tackles to go along with three tackles for loss and two forced fumbles last season. He was rewarded with a three-year, $31.2-million extension in March, per Spotrac.