INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Quenton Nelson made an All-Pro impact right from the start for the Indianapolis Colts.
The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks think he can do the same thing for their struggling ground game.
One week after team co-owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon fired general manager Chris Ballard, who drafted Nelson with the No. 6 overall pick in 2018, Nelson was dealt to the Seahawks for two draft picks. The picks are a 2027 third-rounder
and a 2028 fifth-rounder, and it may signal more moves are on the way.
“As I said at the start of the season, the sense of urgency has never been higher. Our standard is to compete for championships, and I believe a change in leadership is necessary to meet that standard," Irsay-Gordon said in a statement last week. "Making this change during the season was a deliberate decision. Waiting would only delay the important work that needs to begin now.”
Nelson, the league's third-highest paid guard, had been a stalwart on the offensive line for nearly a decade in Indy. But his contract expires after the season, and Nelson has been reluctant to discuss his future plans following the Ballard move.
“I just feel like everyone came to work and are doing their best,” Nelson said after Indy lost its third straight last weekend, 16-10 at Minnesota. “I don’t know what else to say.”
Indy was willing to trade Nelson because it wants more draft capital to make up for the loss of 2026 and 2027 first-round picks that were sent to the New York Jets last November to acquire All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner.
Who could be next?
Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner also has an expiring contract and has expressed his displeasure with what's happened after each of Indy's past two losses.
“How about you guess?” Buckner said in Minnesota when asked about his level of his frustration. “Yeah, I’m frustrated. Same thing: We lost.”
And even though Jonathan Taylor signed a two-year contract extension worth $44 million in August and is tied for the league lead in TD runs (eight) and is fifth in yards rushing (587), he could be sought after on the trade market.
It's unclear whether Irsay-Gordon would be willing to part with either Buckner or Taylor, or both, since both are team captains and could continue to be foundational pieces. Then again, Nelson also was a team captain and an eight-time Pro Bowler.
But the Colts' season is spiraling with 12 losses in 14 games going back to last season with a Sunday matchup in Jacksonville (4-2) looming.
The situation turned when the Colts lost to the previously winless Tennessee Titans at home in Week 6. The next day, Ballard was fired and assistant general manager Ed Dodds took over.
In 2018, Nelson and linebacker Darius Leonard became the first rookie teammates to earn All-Pro honors since former Chicago Bears teammates Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus in 1965. Nelson was an All-Pro from 2018 to 2020, and was a major factor on the line for his entire career.
The Seahawks (4-3) wanted Nelson because the offensive line has struggled to open holes in the running game since losing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in free agency. The hope in Seattle is that this move will make a difference.
They'll get their glimpse at how Nelson fits Monday night when the Seahawks host the Chicago Bears (5-2).
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