GREEN BAY, Wis. -- One of them arrived here by choice. The other had no say. Together, Javon Hargrave and Zaire Franklin give the Green Bay Packers something they haven't had much of in recent years: veterans.
When the NFL's youngest team three years running traded for Franklin, who will be 30 next month, and signed the 33-year-old Hargrave as a free agent, it was well-received in the locker room -- especially among the few veterans.
"We have guys now that have a lot of experience, or more experience than we've had in the past," said All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney, who will turn 28 in August. "I'm not saying nothing about the guys we had, because those guys were great too. But just the guys that we have now: a lot of experience, people that can go out there and make a lot of plays, and we all gel well together.
"I think you kind of see that with who we have now and what we have kind of going on. I think that's going to be big for us just going throughout the year."
During OTA practices this spring, not only has Franklin been the linebacker next to rising star Edgerrin Cooper, but he has also been wearing the green dot on his helmet, signifying that he will be taking the defensive calls from new coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
Meanwhile, Hargrave has been a calming presence on a defensive line that has undergone massive changes in the past 10 months. Gone are Kenny Clark, who was part of the August Micah Parsons trade; Colby Wooden, who was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for Franklin; and Rashan Gary and Kingsley Enagbare, both of whom left in free agency this offseason. Parsons is expected to miss at least the first month of the season.
"Both those guys have played a lot of football," coach Matt LaFleur said. "Obviously 'Z' was a captain in Indy, and you can see why because you can feel his presence. But having Hargrave in the mix, a guy that I've got a lot of respect for, having gone against, and then get to know him as a person, and it's not a surprise to why he's had so much success."
While Franklin and Hargrave had never played together, they have a common denominator in Gannon, who was on the Colts' staff as cornerbacks coach during Franklin's first three years in the NFL and Hargrave's defensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021 and 2022 -- two of Hargrave's best pro seasons.
For Franklin -- who is essentially replacing Quay Walker after he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency -- the feeling of being wanted made the move to Green Bay exciting. In fact, Franklin heard years ago that Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst had wanted to acquire him.
"I think it was the first time I went to free agency after my fourth year and my agent at the time was like, 'Do you know that Green Bay has been trying to get you for a couple of years now?'" Franklin said recently. "I'm like, 'No, I had no idea.' And at the time, it just didn't work out with free agency, but like I said, everything happens for a reason. I feel like me coming here, it was a bit of fate, so I'm just really looking forward to earning it every day and helping the guys win."
For Hargrave, who played last season with the Minnesota Vikings, he sees this as an opportunity to provide leadership and help a perennial playoff team turn into a Super Bowl contender.
"They call me 'the old head,' but yeah, I just appreciate it and seeing how hungry they are," Hargrave said. "It kind of reminds me of when I first came into the league and not knowing much but just going so hard every day."