One of the most basic realities of the NFL trade market is that, when a team adds a key player during a given season, someone will be taking a seat.

In Seattle, the “someone” who will be leaving the starting lineup after the arrival of guard Quenton Nelson is Anthony Bradford. With Nelson taking over at left guard and 2025 first-rounder Grey Zabel moving to right guard, former starting right guard Anthony Bradford will move to the bench.

“It’s not an easy situation,” coach Mike Macdonald told reporters on Thursday. “I thought Anthony played good football for us, and he has, and he’s earned a significant role on our team, a starting-level role. It’s one of those ‘through not around’ type of things with AB that is not easy.

“There’s no way to sugarcoat it, and he believes this when we say this, how much we love him. The guys love him in the locker room. He’s a fantastic teammate. We don’t expect him to be jumping over joy in this situation because that’s not realistic, but he’s going to be a great teammate and he’s going to stay ready.

“We know how this league works. You’re a play away from him playing every play again. It’s not an easy situation, but he’s a tough cookie, and the guys will have his back as well and we’re behind him as well, but it’s not easy.”

Making it even less easy for Bradford is the fact that the fourth-round pick in 2023 is in a contract year. And it becomes much harder to earn a new contract, in Seattle or elsewhere, if Bradford isn’t playing.

The fact that the Seahawks traded for Nelson during Bradford’s contract year is a fairly clear sign that the Seahawks are ready to move on.

Bradford has 44 regular-season appearances and 40 regular-season starts. He started all three postseason games in 2025, including Super Bowl LX.