Jacob Infante, an NFL analyst at Pro Football Network, thinks the Seattle Seahawks came away with a steal in Quenton Nelson. Breaking down the deal on PFN’s YouTube channel, he said the Colts did fine but the Seahawks did far better. His grades: “I’d give this like a solid B or a B+ for the Colts, but I’d give this a serious A for the Seahawks.”

As Infante described the deal, Seattle sent a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick to Indianapolis on Tuesday for the guard he called an eight-time Pro Bowler. The Seahawks won Super Bowl 60, beating the New England Patriots 29-13, and are 4-3 and second in the NFC West this season. Infante said their interior offensive line has struggled so far.

For that line, Infante said, “they added literally the best guard in the NFL by PFN offensive line impact grading.” Nelson’s season grade of 90.4 through Week 7 ranks second of 141 offensive linemen in PFN’s NFL OL Impact Grades. Infante said that puts him first among guards. He graded 89.7 for the full 2025 season. Infante also pointed out that Nelson is still near his prime. “He’s a future Hall of Famer and he’s only 30 years old.”

Why the Price Worked for Both Teams

Infante’s case for Seattle starts with the picks the Seahawks expect to get back. He said they are in line for a large haul of compensatory picks after losing Boye Mafe, Riq Woolen, Kenneth Walker and Coby Bryant in free agency. Walker is now with the Kansas City Chiefs and Mafe with the Cincinnati Bengals. Infante added that Seattle is also due a third-round pick because the Minnesota Vikings hired Nolan Teasley as their general manager.

Video via Pro Football Network.

With that many extra picks, Infante said, Seattle could easily afford the price. In his view, “giving up a third and a future fifth, all things considered, is a very low price that they could afford to give up for the guy who’s analytically been the best guard in the entire NFL this year.”

He did not think Indianapolis gave Nelson away, though. The Colts are 2-5, and Infante said Nelson’s contract expires after the season, so letting him leave in free agency would likely have brought back only a compensatory pick. In his estimate, “they were probably going to get a third- or maybe even a fourth-round compensatory pick for letting him walk in free agency.” The trade gets the Colts that pick a year sooner, and Infante said it means “you ensure that it’s a third-round pick instead of leaving it up to chance to the market.”

Infante said the Colts are heading toward a rebuild. He added that they fired general manager Chris Ballard and that interim general manager Ed Dodds is making the first of potentially several big moves. “Now guys like DeForest Buckner, Jonathan Taylor could be on the move as well.”

The team Infante saw winning without taking part was the New York Jets. He said they own Indianapolis’ first-round pick from the Sauce Gardner trade, so every loss the Colts pile up after selling off veterans could move that pick higher. He gave the Jets an A as well. “They’re not directly involved in it, but indirectly, because they have the first-round pick, they’re benefiting from this, as well.”

On the field, Infante expects Nelson to help Seattle’s running game most. He said that Zach Charbonnet and another running back are out for now, and that both should do well running behind Nelson once they return. He pointed to Jonathan Taylor’s production in Indianapolis as evidence. “We’ve seen what Jonathan Taylor can do behind Nelson in Indianapolis.” He called the trade a big addition for a Seattle team trying to win back-to-back Super Bowls.

The Seahawks play their first game since the trade at home against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 2 in Week 8. The Colts visit the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 1.