The Indianapolis Colts appear to be waving a white flag on the 2026 season, with the first sign coming Tuesday when they traded perennial Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Seahawks are giving up a third-round pick in the 2027 draft and a fifth-round pick in the 2028 draft for Nelson — a 30-year-old anchor of the Indianapolis offensive line who has been selected to eight Pro Bowls in each of his previous eight seasons.
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And this makes sense on multiple levels.
Chris Ballard of the Indianapolis Colts speaks during a press conference at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine on February 24, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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The Colts are struggling through a disappointing season where they find themselves with a 2-5 record and mired in a three-game losing skid. They’ve already fired general manager Chris Ballard and the next general manager will need draft capital to rebuild a veteran team that gave up multiple first-round picks last year at the trade deadline for cornerback Sauce Gardner.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, are coming off an impressive victory over the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs and are taking an opportunity to upgrade their offensive line as they try to defend their Super Bowl title.
With Nelson coming aboard, the club will likely move 2025 first-round pick Grey Zabel from left guard to right guard where he played in college at North Dakota State.
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor reacts after rushing for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings in the first half at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Oct. 25, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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The Colts will not admit this is a garage sale. That would be frowned upon by the NFL.
But everyone knows. As recently as the weekend, the wife of running back Jonathan Taylor said her family is on “a Colts transaction watch,” signaling Taylor and other players are aware of the current uncertain situation in Indianapolis.
OutKick and Fox News Digital included Nelson’s name among the Colts players who could be trade targets before the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline.
Nelson makes sense to trade because, while he is an outstanding player, he is also unsigned for 2027. So the Colts might have lost him in free agency.
The idea they could keep him now and still get a compensatory pick if they lost him in free agency is mitigated by the fact that comp pick would come in 2028. The higher draft pick Indy is getting in this trade comes in 2027.
Other names of Colts players OutKick and Fox News Digital have reported could be traded include:
- RB Jonathan Taylor.
- DT Grover Stewart.
- DT DeForest Buckner.
Keenan Allen looks on during joint practice against the Atlanta Falcons at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Ind., on Aug. 19, 2026. (Getty Images)
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Of those, Buckner is the next most likely to go because multiple teams have inquired about his availability, per a league source.
A couple of other Colts players who might be traded are WRs Josh Downs and Keenan Allen.
And all this comes with the understanding that everyone not named Tyler Warren is probably available in trade. Whether or not trades happen depends on interest from other teams and the price the Colts are willing to accept.
One more thing: Ed Dodds in currently the interim general manager in Indianapolis. He is in charge of the apparent deconstruction of the 2026 Colts.
Dodds arrived in Seattle in 2007 and worked under Seattle general manager John Schneider for years until he left for Indianapolis. The relationship just helped swing the trade of an outstanding player.
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