I saw the Quenton Nelson trade Tuesday and immediately thought about the Panthers. A few days ago I wouldn't have said that. Nelson was available and Carolina apparently wasn't interested, and I didn't have much of a problem with it. He's 30, his contract is almost up and I wasn't interested in seeing the Panthers give away a bunch of draft picks for a guard.

Then I saw Seattle got him for a third-round pick in 2027 and a fifth in 2028. That wasn't nearly as much as I thought Indianapolis would get for him, especially considering the kind of player we're talking about. Throw in everything that's happened with Carolina's offensive line over the last few days and I started looking at it differently.

I probably would've made that trade.

A Lot Changed in a Few Days

I wasn't thinking much about Nelson when the Panthers played Tampa Bay. I was thinking about Taylor Moton finally being back and hoping Carolina could get through a game without something else happening up front. Instead, Moton broke his fibula and now he's done for the year. That's a pretty lousy way for his season to end after he had just gotten back.

That's also when the Nelson stuff started bothering me more. Ikem Ekwonu hasn't played yet, and now Carolina is going back to Monroe Freeling at right tackle. Rasheed Walker has been handling the other side, so this isn't exactly an offensive line where I'd look around and say they're good enough and don't need anybody else.

I know Nelson wouldn't have taken Moton's spot. If Carolina traded for him, he was going to play guard and Moton's injury still would've been a problem. But I would've felt a whole lot better about the line with Nelson somewhere in the middle of it, especially once I found out Seattle didn't have to give Indianapolis a first or second-round pick to get him.

Maybe I wouldn't be thinking this way if Moton hadn't gotten hurt. That's why I didn't care much when the Panthers weren't involved with Nelson in the first place. A week later I'm looking at who's available up front and what Seattle paid, and it doesn't sound like such a bad idea anymore.

I Didn't Expect Indianapolis to Take That

A future third and fifth isn't nothing, but those aren't picks that would've scared me away. Carolina would've kept its first and second-round picks, and the third wouldn't have been until 2027. When I first heard Nelson's name around the deadline, I figured Indianapolis would want considerably more than that.

Maybe the Colts would've asked Carolina for something different. I have no idea what those conversations would've looked like, or if the Panthers even called. All I can go by is what Nelson actually cost Seattle, and I would've been comfortable with Carolina paying that price.

The contract would've been the part I'd worry about. Nelson is going to want to get paid, and I understand not wanting to spend a ton of money on a guard in his 30s. But that's something Carolina could've figured out later, and I think I'd rather have that decision to make with Nelson already on the roster.

I Would've Changed My Mind

If you asked me about Nelson before Moton got hurt, I probably would've told you to keep the picks. I didn't think this was the kind of move Carolina needed to make, and I definitely didn't want to see them overpay for an older player. A lot changed once Moton went down and I saw what Seattle actually gave up.

I don't know if Nelson would've changed much about this season. The Panthers are 3-4, they've lost two straight and putting one great guard on the offensive line isn't fixing everything we've watched go wrong. I can understand why Carolina might've looked at the age, contract and draft picks and decided it wasn't worth it.

I'm just not sure I agree anymore.

A 2027 third and a 2028 fifth for Quenton Nelson is a deal I would've made.