Late Saturday night, the Indianapolis Colts agreed to a contract extension with All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson. Here are all the details.
The goal for the Indianapolis Colts was always to get a contract extension done with Quenton Nelson before the start of the regular season. However, as training camp passed by and the Week 1 kickoff approached, that seemed unlikely. But, late on the eve of Indy’s first game, Nelson and the team were able to agree on a deal.
How much is Quenton Nelson’s new contract worth?
The Colts and Nelson agreed to a four-year, $80 million extension— $60 million of that is guaranteed. With a breakdown of $20 million a year, Nelson is now the highest-paid guard in NFL history. After the prolific four-year start to his career, everyone felt it was only a matter of time before he earned that title.
Nelson’s production at the guard position has allowed him to rival offensive tackles in yearly salary. Typically, tackles, especially left tackles, were the only linemen to reach $20 million annually because of their importance to the quarterback. Now, Nelson is the fourth highest-paid offensive lineman, regardless of position, trailing only Trent Williams, David Bakhtiari, and Laremy Tunsil.
When Chris Ballard took over, he said his mantra was “Pay your own.”
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) September 11, 2022
Extensions the Colts have handed out in the last three years:
Quenton Nelson
Shaq Leonard
Braden Smith
Ryan Kelly
Nyheim Hines
Colts continue to pay their own
Indianapolis’ general manager, Chris Ballard, often gets flack from fans and the media for not throwing excessive money in free agency. However, Ballard has always pushed back on the notion that he’s not willing to spend money because he and the team always make sure to pay their own players. Nelson is the latest example of that.
He joins the likes of Shaquille Leonard, Braden Smith, and many other homegrown players the Colts have compensated nicely in the last few seasons. Indy has done a phenomenal job at finding and developing talent, and they’ve been making sure to retain that talent with big contracts.
Now, with all of these talented players under contract, the Colts have to get their money’s worth and start putting together some quality seasons. That starts on Sunday against the Houston Texans.
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