Club 520 Podcast – Zaire Franklin on Drew Brees COOKING Colts, Andrew Luck Retirement

Podcast: Club 520
Episode: Zaire Franklin on Drew Brees COOKING Colts, Andrew Luck Retirement
Date: September 1, 2025
Hosts: DJ Wells, Jeff Teague, Bishop B. Henn
Guest: Zaire Franklin (Indianapolis Colts linebacker, Pro Bowler, new Club 520 NFL Analyst)

Episode Overview

This episode of Club 520 brings Colts’ linebacker (and Pro Bowler) Zaire Franklin to the mic as the newest NFL analyst for the show. In a classic Club 520 blend of irreverent sports talk and personal storytelling, the crew goes deep on locker room dynamics, Zaire’s journey in the NFL, painful team memories (including Drew Brees’ legendary game against the Colts and Andrew Luck’s shocking retirement), player respect around the league, wild food takes, and the business side of football. The tone is rowdy, heartfelt, and always hilarious.

Major Themes & Discussion Points

1. Zaire’s Expansion with Club 520 & Behind-the-Scenes Content

• The crew promotes exclusive content, new segments (Coach’s Corner), and Zaire's "Queens Kings W (QKW)" series.
• Zaire jokes about doing a weekly "mukbang" (food vlog), promising fans more personal and entertaining content.
  “Y’ all putting a lot on my plate Patreon, but we doin’ it for y’all though.” – Zaire Franklin (03:23)

2. Locker Room Culture, NFL Rivalries & Therapy Talk

• Zaire and the hosts joke about team dynamics, Nigerian teammates on the Colts, and beefs with NFL Africa social media.
  “I don’t really fuck with NFL Africa anyway, though. I feel like they a little racist… I make a lot of plays, they don’t never post me.” – (04:41)
• Discussion on “crash out” culture, dealing with loss, and how the NFL drives even mild-mannered dudes to anger and therapy.
  “I’m an all-pro hater… if I’m saying that to a camera that I edit, imagine what I’m telling them to their face.” – Zaire Franklin (09:36)

3. Post-Loss Routine: Grit, Obsession, and Self-Reflection

• Zaire details the pain, reflection, and ritual of going home after a loss:
  “I just be mad the whole time. Can’t do nothing till I at least watch the game… After you watch it, I’m probably cussin’ out in my head five times… even my family come over, I’m still mad.” – Zaire Franklin (08:07)
• The importance of every NFL game, especially division matchups, and the pressure of early season losses.

4. Evolving in the League: From Special Teamer to Pro Bowler

• Zaire describes moving up from nearly getting cut, to earning a starting job, to leading the league in tackles—sharing the changing respect and responsibility that comes with each stage.
• On making his first Pro Bowl:
  “Unfulfilling, bro. You work your whole life… and then you just need more. No matter what you do… yourself, 'Damn, I gotta hit that next level.'” (17:10)
• Celebration stories: Orlando Pro Bowl trip, buying the “Yours” car, perspective on material rewards.

5. Style Debates: Tunnel Fashion, Food Takes, and Indy's Best Restaurants

• Playful jabs at tunnel fashion, with the group clowning each other’s style choices.
• Animated discussion of where $50 dates stand (“$50 a plate was cheap … what’s on the plate?”) (22:27).
• Insider takes on Indianapolis restaurants:
  • “Ruth’s Chris terrible... Harry & Izzy’s is fire… 1933 solid… Tinker Street torch.”
  • “Seafood in Indianapolis? There’s no water!” – The crew laughs about the perils of midwestern seafood (31:24).

6. Player Respect, Rivalry, and Being “That Guy”

• The moment Zaire realized he was a respected player:
  “Probably say… my first year starting we played Jacksonville. I was so tired. First time playing every play… just started snapping. Next week, locked up Kelsey one-on-one. I told him, ‘Damn, I might be bored, gang. This shit might work.’” (35:01)
• How fellow players and fans show love after he's established himself.
• Intense Monday Night Football & Sunday Night Football game stories, including a detailed flashback of Drew Brees’ record-breaking destruction of the Colts.

7. Memorable Moment: Drew Brees “Cooking” the Colts – [38:09]

• Zaire’s vivid account of the infamous Saints-Colts Monday Night game in 2019 after Andrew Luck’s retirement:
  • “They whooped our ass so bad… They blocked a punt two plays in a row… Drew Brees went 26 for 26… set the Monday night completion percentage record.”
  • The emotional aftermath inside the locker room and the city.

8. Heartbreak & Legacy: Andrew Luck’s Retirement

• Open discussion on the pain and confusion that swept through Indy when Luck suddenly retired:
  • “I like Andrew. That’s my guy… They need to let my man live his life in peace.” (41:08)
  • “Luck was generational, bro. If Luck would have played, we going to the Super Bowl… That team was raw.” (41:50)
• Philosophical debate: what’s a greater Indianapolis sports tragedy, the Pacers’ “Malice at the Palace” or Luck’s retirement? (42:17)

9. Old School vs. New School: Debates & Hot Takes

• Lively arguments about QBs: Is Aaron Rodgers really superior to Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, if you ignore rings?
  • “As a prime player in the league, Aaron Rodgers was a better player than Tom Brady and Peyton Manning… That dude was cold, bro.” – DJ Wells (60:01)
  • “Brady… wasn’t a better quarterback, just a better winner.”
• Best defensive players ever: AD (Aaron Donald) vs. LT (Lawrence Taylor), with much respect for “upper room” guys like Jerry Rice, Moss, and Deion Sanders. (68:19–68:42)
• The “upper room” concept: separating true all-timers from just Hall of Famers.

10. Tailgates, City Vibes & Fandom Allegiances

• Comparing tailgates across the NFL: Colts fans get props, but Eagles (“that’s a gang!”) and Falcons (“real cookout vibes”) are in a league of their own.
• DJ’s shifting NFL fandom: 49ers, Packers, Falcons, and now—maybe—the Colts.
  “I was a fan of three different people… but I fuck with you now, Z. So you probably surpassed the Falcons.” – DJ Wells (74:19)

11. NFL Business: Contracts & The Micah Parsons Paywatch

• The realities of chasing the “highest-paid” title and how players position themselves in negotiations.
  “When you going for the highest paid, that’s a different hustle… Micah Parsons: if TJ (Watt) getting 41, I’m 42—at least. There’s really nothing else to discuss.” – Zaire Franklin (57:32; 57:50)

12. What to Expect this Season: Zaire as Club 520’s NFL Analyst

• Zaire promises exclusive insight as an active player: stories from inside the building, context on league issues, and shots/props for players making big plays.
• Hype for the upcoming Club 520 live shows and on-the-road tapings.

Notable Quotes & Classic Moments

• On Dealing with Loss
  “All them games be meaning so much… You lose some bullshit week one, that be the game y’all look back like, ‘Damn, we wouldn’t have tweaked this one.’” – Zaire Franklin (08:38)

• On Drew Brees’ Historic Game
  “They blocked a punt on the left side. Called the flag, we had to re-kick. Then they blocked it on the right side. Drew Brees went like 26 for 26… Set completion percentage.” – (39:34)

• On Luck’s Retirement
  “Street’s still sad… Luck was generational, bro. That 2019 team: if Luck would have played—no, we going to the Super Bowl, bro. We really waiting for him.” (41:50)

• The “Upper Room”
  “It’s Hall of Famers… But then you got a different set—yeah, group of people. Prime in that ‘upper room.’ He was doing the whole thing.” (68:19–68:42)

• On Money & Contracts
  “Somebody like Micah, walk into a negotiation, it starts with, ‘Who’s the highest-paid non-QB? I’m right above that. Nothing else to talk about.’” (57:39–57:50)

• On Being Respected On Field
  “Now when you playing, guys come holler at you, the conversation’s different. Not just, ‘Oh, you nice,’ but, ‘No, you one of them.’” (34:57)

Key Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Topic | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------| | 02:12 | Patreon/Exclusive show offers and new segments | | 04:05 | Zaire Franklin introduced as Club 520 NFL Analyst | | 08:07 | Zaire’s post-loss process: watching film, self-crit | | 13:04 | Locker room culture, fighting, therapy, and beefs | | 17:10 | Zaire on being a Pro Bowler: pride, hunger for more | | 22:29 | Food debates: $50 per plate, best date spots in Indy | | 31:24 | Indy’s best/worst restaurants, seafood debate | | 35:01 | “When I realized I was him” story: Jacksonville & KC | | 38:09 | Drew Brees cooks Colts on MNF: record & humiliation | | 41:08 | Andrew Luck retires: the city’s heartbreak | | 60:01 | Rodgers vs. Manning vs. Brady: pure skill debate | | 68:19 | “Upper room” legends: Hall-of-Fame and beyond | | 74:19 | DJ’s allegiances: switching fandoms | | 75:27 | Zaire’s analyst pitch: season preview & road tour |

Final Notes

• Energy: This is classic Club 520: rapid-fire crosstalk, jokes, pop culture, and straight-from-the-locker-room wisdom mixed in equal measure.
• Zaire Franklin’s Role: Expect a more direct pipeline into today’s NFL—player lore, contract drama, hilarious side stories, and authentic perspective you won’t get anywhere else.
• Live Shows/Tour: Club 520 is going on tour with live episodes in Houston (October 4), Atlanta (October 11), and New York City (October 16).

This episode is a must-listen for Colts fans, football-heads craving real locker room talk, and anyone who loves hilarious, unfiltered takes on sports, life, and the business of pro football.