Colts trade Quenton Nelson to Seahawks for two picks, AP reports

The Indianapolis Colts have traded guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks, according to an Associated Press report published by The Guardian on Tuesday. The reported move would send an eight-time Pro Bowl selection from an Indianapolis team struggling for results to a Seattle side with a winning record.

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A person familiar with the transaction told AP that Indianapolis would receive a third-round draft pick and a fifth-round pick. The person spoke anonymously because neither club had announced the deal. The report did not specify which years the selections would fall in, leaving that part of the compensation unconfirmed.

Nelson can reach free agency in March, according to AP. He had said little about his plans beyond the current season, with his attention on finishing it strongly. The report did not detail any agreement concerning his longer-term future, so the reported trade does not establish where he will play after this season.

For Indianapolis, the transaction follows another significant change: the dismissal of general manager Chris Ballard last week. That decision came after a home defeat by a Tennessee Titans team that had been winless. Assistant general manager Ed Dodds has taken over for the time being, placing the reported Nelson deal shortly after a change in the club's football leadership.

The Colts are 2-5 and have lost three consecutive games. Their difficulties extend beyond the current losing streak, with AP reporting 12 defeats in their past 14 games overall. The departure of a player with Nelson's record of individual honours would come against that backdrop of sustained poor results.

Indianapolis selected Nelson sixth overall in the 2018 draft. He earned All-Pro honours in each season from 2018 through 2020. As rookies, Nelson and linebacker Darius Leonard both made the All-Pro team, the first teammates to do so since Chicago's Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus in 1965.

The Colts next visit Jacksonville, who are 4-2, on Sunday. Seattle, at 4-3, host the 5-2 Chicago Bears on Monday night. The AP report did not confirm Nelson's availability for that game.