A fire sale in Indianapolis may have just begun. The Colts traded their longest-tenured player, left guard Quenton Nelson, to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick, The Ringer reported on Tuesday afternoon. Nelson, an eight-time Pro Bowler and a six-time All-Pro, has established himself as one of the league’s best interior offensive linemen since being selected by the Colts with the No.
6 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame. Nelson joins a talented Seattle offensive line that could be one of the league’s best, slotting in alongside former first-round picks Grey Zabel and Charles Cross, with Abraham Lucas holding steady at right tackle. According to Pro Football Focus, Nelson holds an 85.7 overall grade, good for the third-highest-graded guard in the league.
Having played left guard at a high level for his entire career, Nelson’s arrival in Seattle likely means Zabel will move over to right guard. The 30-year-old Nelson was set to hit free agency this offseason. Interim general manager Ed Dodds’ first signature move netted the Colts Day 2 and Day 3 draft picks, instead of risking losing Nelson for nothing on the open market, which likely signals a complete rebuild is on the horizon for the Colts.
Other trade candidates for the Colts could include star running back Jonathan Taylor, wide receiver Josh Downs and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, among others. With a locker room leader like Nelson being moved, all options appear on the table for Dodds and ownership heading into the NFL trade deadline.
