On Tuesday, theIndianapolis Colts traded Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks. But during the offseason, the two were in talks about a contract extension.
In fact, Ian Rapoport thought that a deal was close to being done.
"This is one with Quenton Nelson and the Colts when Chris Ballard was there, I really thought it was going to get done," Rapoport said while appearing on the Pat McAfee Show. "It just never got there. Ballard never got there. The organization never got there. And so yes, this is good draft capital to receive for the Colts, but really what you'd like to do is keep your really good players."
Rapoport added that, at that time, Nelson did want to stay in Indianapolis.
"I really thought the Quenton Nelson deal was gonna get done with
the Colts this offseason.. He wanted to stay in Indianapolis" ~ @RapSheet #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/jyYrOCP2fv
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 28, 2026
Nelson was a cornerstone player for the Colts. The sixth overall pick by the Colts in the 2018 NFL draft, Nelson is an eight-time Pro Bowler and has made six All-Pro teams in his career.
He continues to play at a high level, ranking third among guards in PFF's pass-blocking efficiency metric and seventh in run-blocking grade.
However, following a 2-5 start for the Colts, who are now eyeing a rebuild, the team chose to trade Nelson, who is in the final year of his deal, in order to acquire draft capital for the next iteration of this team.
Indianapolis received a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick for Nelson.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Insider thought Colts, Quenton Nelson deal was getting 'done' in offseason
