The 2022 NFL free agency period is not quite done yet, but it’s never too early to look ahead at what next year’s offseason might look like.
NFL Senior Writer Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic did just that, listing the top 30 players set to become free agents in 2023 in an article released on April 5.
At No. 8 on the list, Kapadia included Indianapolis Colts starting guard Quenton Nelson.
“He’s the best left guard in the NFL. Nelson is a three-time first-team All Pro and has missed just four games in four NFL seasons,” Kapadia wrote. “He just turned 26 in March.”
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Quenton Nelson Living up to the Hype
Nelson arrived in Indianapolis as the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Colts were fortunate to get him.
He was a consensus top-five pick heading into the draft. Then draft analyst Mike Mayock of NFL.com ranked him the second-best player in the 2018 class.
But two quarterbacks, Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, went in the top three, and Saquon Barkley, the most exciting player of the draft went second. At fourth, the Cleveland Browns unexpectedly drafted cornerback Denzel Ward and then the Denver Broncos picked the draft’s best pass rusher, defensive end Bradley Chubb.
The Colts were more than happy to select Nelson, who immediately became an All Pro as a rookie. In addition to three All Pro nominations, Nelson hasn’t missed a Pro Bowl in four seasons.
Last summer, Pro Football Focus ranked Nelson not only the best guard and offensive lineman in the league, but the fourth-best overall player in the NFL.
As would be true with any player achieving those accolades, Nelson will receive a big payday once his rookie contract expires.
“It’s not a matter of if he’ll reset the guard market,” Kapadia wrote. “It’s a matter of how much more he’ll get paid than the current top guys.
“Brandon Scherff found a deal worth $16.5 million from the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason. That’s the absolute floor for a Nelson deal.”
Quenton Nelson Staying in Indianapolis?
Kapadia ranked only one offensive lineman ahead of Nelson on his list of potential 2023 NFL free agents (tackle Orlando Brown Jr.). Three other players ahead of Nelson were quarterbacks (Lamar Jackson, Tom Brady and Derek Carr).
But Colts staff writer Zak Keefer tweeted on April 5 that there’s a chance Nelson isn’t on the potential 2023 NFL free agents list when the season begins in September.
“Colts will pay him before that — look for a deal before the season,” Keefer wrote on Twitter. “Too good, too valuable. Ballard believes he’s everything he wants his program to be about.”
Losing three offensive linemen this offseason should only make the Colts more anxious to sign Nelson to a long-term extension. Guards Mark Glowinski and Chris Reed, both of whom made at least six starts in 2021, departed Indianapolis to sign elsewhere in free agency.
Left tackle Eric FIsher also remains a free agent and is not expected to return to the Colts.
Looking ahead to next season, Spotrac reports the Colts have approximately $69.2 million in salary cap space for the 2023 season. That ranks fourth-most in the NFL behind only the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks.
Indianapolis should have the motivation and cap space to award Nelson with a record-setting deal.
Colts Guard Quenton Nelson Named Among Top Free Agents for Next Offseason