With GM Chris Ballard now gone, left guard Quenton Nelson's future with the team is now up in the air if the Indianapolis Colts do decide to become sellers at the NFL trade deadline.
Nelson is currently in the final year of his deal and is set to become a free agent in the offseason.
If it were up to Nelson, he would like to remain with the Colts, although that decision is not only his to make.
“Yeah, I Iove it here," Nelson said on Wednesday, via The Athletic's James Boyd. "Met my wife here. Really appreciate and love this organization. It’s been a long career here. And made a lot of friendships and bonds here that I don't take for granted."
Quenton Nelson, asked if he wants to continue his career with the #Colts, although it’s not entirely up
to him: “Yeah, I Iove it here. Met my wife here. Really appreciate and love this organization. It’s been a long career here. And made a lot of friendships and bonds here …” pic.twitter.com/ykgSugUBHg
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) October 21, 2026
In the statement Carlie Irsay-Gordon released after sharing the news that Ballard had been let go, she reiterated that even with this move, the Colts' goals for the 2026 season remain the same.
However, at 2-4, the season could begin to spiral quickly, at which point the Colts could look to trade away players -- like Nelson at the trade deadline, in an effort to begin building towards the future.
How these next few weeks unfold will go a long way in dictating what direction Indianapolis goes at the trade deadline.
Still playing at a very high level, keeping Nelson around for 2027 and beyond certainly would make sense. That said, for a team likely entering rebuild mode, does it make sense to pay top dollar to retain Nelson when there is a lot of work to be done elsewhere on this roster?
That is the question Irsay-Gordon and Ed Dodds will have to answer in the coming weeks.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Quenton Nelson addresses future with Colts after Ballard firing
