Maybe the Indianapolis Colts knew what they were doing after all in how early they traded Quenton Nelson.
The all-world left guard was dealt to the Seattle Seahawks exactly two weeks before the NFL trade deadline. There were criticisms that the Colts had shipped him out too early, not waiting to get the best value in return.
Nelson, on an expiring contract, might be the best pulling guard in the NFL. He’s certainly valuable.
But as a free agent at the end of the year, Nelson wasn’t doing the Colts any good if they couldn’t sign him to a contract extension. Indy is rebuilding, and so Nelson and DeForest Bucker (49ers) were traded away on the same day.
All of a sudden, the Nelson trade looks prudent.
After playing just one game with the Seahawks, Nelson is hurt.
Quenton Nelson Injury News
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport shared the news of Nelson’s injury on X on Friday night:
#Seahawks G Quenton Nelson will have surgery to clean out some cartilage in his knee, sources say, as fragments had been causing an issue recently.
The plan is for Nelson to avoid Injured Reserve, and his timeline is a few weeks. Seattle has two games, then a Week 11 bye. https://t.co/AZyUFzg7Kj
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 6, 2026
It’s an update that seemingly came out of nowhere.
Nelson played for the Seahawks throughout their Monday night loss to the Chicago Bears. He had some good moments and also maybe one or two negatives, but nothing that looked like an obvious injury.
The way Rapoport describes it, it sounds like something Nelson was already dealing with.
This isn’t to suggest the Colts did anything underhanded here. Acquiring teams get to examine medical information and take a physical on players they get.
It’s just fortunate for the Colts that they moved Nelson when they did, as it turns out.
What if Colts had Waited?
If the Colts had waited, it’s not clear what would’ve happened for Nelson. If he made the exact same decision to get surgery, they likely would’ve had a much tougher time trading him.
Certainly if the injury came out and Indy still wanted to trade Nelson, his return value would’ve been even lower.
The Colts haven’t made a trade since sending Nelson away. They’ve waited to let their other trade candidates get a lot closer to the deadline, which likely will increase their value.
It also increases risk, though. There’s no telling what might happen for the trade chips who suit up for Indianapolis on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, two days before the trade deadline.
As Nelson has proven, injuries can pop up at any time. The Colts ended up getting out of dodge just in time with their left guard.
Quenton Nelson Gets Bad Injury News 1 Game After Colts Trade