The Indianapolis Colts reportedly dealt left guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday for a third-round pick in 2027 and a fifth-rounder in 2028. That is according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero. The move is no longer shocking, but one that might still get any normal general manager fired.
The reason acting GM Ed Dodds is in no danger of losing his job yet is that the move with Nelson was expected, and that Dodds wouldn't have made the decision to deal the future Pro Football Hall of Famer wasn't done on his own.
Nothing Dodds does would be without the approval of ownership, especially Carlie Iray-Gordon. If a move is made now, and Nelson almost certainly won't be the last Colts player traded, one can assume ownership is fully behind the move.
Ed Dodds trades Quenton Nelson, but there is a catch for the Indianapolis Colts
The odd part is that the implication is that ownership knows exactly what the value of a player would be and how a trade makes the team better in the future. Carlie Irsay-Gordon knows her football, of course, but asking any owner to decide on that is difficult.
Could a single second-round choice have been enough for Nelson? Possibly, and while Indianapolis is bound to get pushback for dealing such a great player who could be a long-term cornerstone of the offensive line, the team has to rebuild to get better. Getting two picks instead of one makes sense.
Plus, Nelson is a free agent after this season, and he could always return to the Colts unless the Seahawks offer him an extension soon. Since the Colts aren't going anywhere this season, the best outcome could be trading Nelson to Seattle for draft picks and then re-signing him in the offseason.
Is that likely to happen? Maybe not, but it could happen, and that's the key.
Either way, Ed Dodds isn't just any general manager. He was assumed to have been let go when a new general manager was hired anyway. If anything, Dodds making moves like the Nelson one only gives him a better chance of keeping the GM job instead of being fired.
As for this season, the Indianapolis Colts are done. Shane Steichen likely won't be the head coach after this season, and the roster will look different. That is fine as long as the team gets back to contender status instead of missing the playoffs every year, as they have done since 2020.
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