And just like that, the Colts’ presumed fire sale has officially begun.

As ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport first reported, Indianapolis has agreed to trade guard Quenton Nelson to the Seahawks in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick and a ’28 fifth-round pick. Nelson is in the final season of the four-year, $80 million contract extension he signed with the Colts in 2022 and now heads to Seattle to join the defending Super Bowl champions.

The Colts are ready to rebuild. After firing general manager Chris Ballard last Monday, Indianapolis lost its third consecutive game in Week 7 and sits at just 2–5 through the first two months of the 2026 season. The club’s interim GM, Ed Dodds, notably worked in the Seahawks’ front office from 2007 to ’16—where he overlapped with Seahawks GM John Schneider for seven seasons. That relationship likely helped get this deal done on Tuesday.

With that, let’s grade both sides of the Colts-Seahawks trade for Nelson.

Seahawks add another rental in pursuit of their second straight Super Bowl title

The Seahawks’ offensive line has been average at best through seven games.  Seattle has allowed 16 sacks—tied for the 13th-most in the NFL—while averaging 113.7 rushing yards per game, the league’s 17th-highest mark.

With Nelson in the fold, they now have a chance to reach even greater heights.

A three-time first-team All-Pro and an eight-time Pro Bowler, Nelson has long been considered one of the NFL’s best interior offensive linemen. He’s also an ironman, having played in all 17 games in each of the past four seasons. 

Additionally, as a career left guard, he’ll allow the Seahawks to move current left guard—and 2025 first-round pick—Grey Zabel to the right side, where he played during his collegiate career at North Dakota State.

Schneider is no stranger to adding players in the final year of their deal. In 2023, the Seahawks traded for defensive lineman Leonard Williams at the deadline, acquiring him from the Giants, and last season they dealt for wide receiver and return specialist Rashid Shaheed from the Saints. This move helped propel them to a Super Bowl LX victory.

In both cases, the Seahawks ultimately re-signed Williams and Shaheed to long-term deals. That said, if they can’t do the same with Nelson, they’d still recoup some value with a compensatory draft pick, depending on what the 30-year-old would sign for in free agency.

Grade: A

Colts begin their rebuild by selling off a franchise legend

On the flip side, the Colts are now officially in teardown mode. After shipping Nelson to the Seahawks, Indianapolis will lean on 2024 undrafted free agent Dalton Tucker at left guard for the rest of the season. They’re also likely to listen to trade calls around running back Jonathan Taylor, defensive lineman DeForest Buckner and wide receiver Josh Downs, among others. 

Nelson is a franchise legend who has been the lynchpin of the Colts’ offensive line since entering the league in 2018. While the front office is looking to get the most out of the talent left on its roster, receiving third- and a fifth-round picks in exchange for a player of Nelson’s caliber—even on the wrong side of 30 and on an expiring contract—feels underwhelming.

That said, while it may seem like the Colts could have done better here, this is what happens when the league knows you’re in sell-mode near the trade deadline. Other teams will call your bluff when you have little leverage, and that’s exactly what could have happened in Indianapolis’s case.

Still, after trading two first-round picks to the Jets at last year’s deadline, the Colts need all the draft capital they can get as they look to remake their roster heading into 2027 and beyond.

Grade: C+