For nearly a decade, the Indianapolis Colts have bragged about having the best left guard in football. Quenton Nelson has been an immovable force in the trenches since 2018, and he's shown no signs of decline in his play.
Unfortunately, he's also entering the final year of his four-year, $80 million extension, and there has been little to no progress regarding an extension. The Colts know they'll have to make him the highest-paid guard in the league again, so total money may not be an issue; it must be guarantees or contract language.
However, with the team struggling to find consistency, the lack of draft capital, the stagnant contract talks, and Nelson's recent complaints about the offense, the writing might be on the wall. Maybe this is the end of his days in Indianapolis.
The Indianapolis Colts must have an open-hearted talk with Quenton Nelson
This will be tough to process, but it's a rather simple situation. The Colts must get Nelson and his agent to the table and have a deep, open-hearted talk. If he's gonna test the open market and/or doesn't see himself back in Indianapolis, the team might as well get something valuable in return for his services.
He's still the best left guard in football. He has given up a grand total of five pressures, one hit, no sacks, hasn't been called for a single penalty, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) gave him the third-highest run-blocking grade among guards (86.6). Clearly, this wouldn't be a matter of production— or lack thereof.
That said, the Colts won't have a first-round pick in 2027 because of the Sauce Gardner trade. This promises to be one of the deepest, most stacked classes in recent history, and with Daniel Jones not looking the part, maybe this could be the first step toward finding his replacement.
The Colts also need help on defense, and they could probably get even more draft capital by moving on from Nelson. Again, this should only happen if he doesn't think the team is heading in the right direction; it's not like they should be shopping him around.
Now, it's also worth noting that losing Nelson, even with a trade, should probably be the straw that broke the camel's back for the Chris Ballard regime.
Essentially, they would be flipping him for picks because of Ballard's failed deal, and given his underwhelming track record in the NFL Draft, they shouldn't reward him with another opportunity to let the team down.
Quenton Nelson is a class act and the best player at his position. Any team would die to have him, including the Colts, and it's still too early to talk about blowing up the roster and giving up on the season.
That said, everything happens way too fast in football. A week-to-week league leaves the door open for big shakeups after a two-game losing streak, and with the November 10 trade deadline looming large, perhaps it's time the Colts and Nelson get honest with each other.
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