Making NFL Draft history, four quarterbacks went in the top 10 of the 2018 draft. Only two offensive linemen went in the first 10 picks that year, but one of them was guard Quenton Nelson to the Indianapolis Colts.
While the Colts didn’t receive the same notoriety as the teams that selected quarterbacks did, Nelson has become arguably the best pick of the top 10 in that draft class. Making first-team All-Pro three times in his first four seasons, Nelson is widely considered the best guard in the NFL.
As he enters the final year of his rookie deal this fall, Nelson is now looking to be paid like the best.
Staff writer Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that several veteran agents have told him that “Nelson will break the bank” with his next contract. Jacksonville Jaguars guard Brandon Scherff is currently the highest paid at the position with an annual salary of $16.5 million.
Nelson could see significantly more money than that per season.
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Projecting Quenton Nelson’s Next Contract
Fowler predicts that Nelson will not only set a new record high at guard with his new average annual salary, but he will be closer to the “left tackle conversation” in terms of compensation.
“Nelson, 26, is widely considered the NFL’s best guard by a wide margin and could want closer to $20 million annually,” wrote Fowler.
Despite not making first-team All Pro last year, it’s hard to argue with that assessment. During each of his first three years in the league, the player grades from Pro Football Focus rated Nelson one of the best three guards in the NFL.
He fell off last season according to the PFF player grades, but Nelson was still a top 25 guard in the league based on their grading system.
Fowler wrote that Nelson “has a career pass block win rate of 94.7%.” He’s also a tone setter and leader on the Colts offense.
All of that points to Nelson easily resetting the market at guard with his next contract.
The Timing of Quenton Nelson’s Next Deal
Fowler reports that the Colts “would like to prioritize re-signing Nelson” but the cost of doing so will be so expensive that Indianapolis probably isn’t rushing into it.
The good news is Colts general manager Chris Ballard has been a very prudent spender, so Indianapolis has cap space to re-sign its own stars.
Spotrac reports the Colts have the ninth-most salary cap space in the league with about $12.7 million remaining to spend. That doesn’t include the contracts of running back Phillip Lindsay or quarterback Nick Foles, both of whom the Colts signed within the last week.
Fowler notes that Indianapolis could sign Nelson this summer and reduce his 2022 cap hit with a new deal. Nelson’s cap hit, which is already included in Spotrac’s total, is $13.754 million. It’s the fifth-year of his rookie deal.
As of May 23, only quarterback Matt Ryan and defensive end DeForest Buckner have a bigger cap hit than Nelson for the Colts this season. Right tackle Braden Smith is the next most expensive offensive linemen for Indianapolis with a cap hit of about $11.6 million.
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Colts Four-Time Pro Bowler Set to Make History with Next Contract: Report