Seahawks acquire All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson in trade with Colts

The Indianapolis Colts' fire sale has begun.

One week after firing general manager Chris Ballard, the team has now traded All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks in a blockbuster deal.

The defending champions will send a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick to Indianapolis in the deal, which was first reported Tuesday by ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Both teams later confirmed the trade.

Colts interim general manager Ed Dodds previously worked for the Seahawks from 2007 to 2016 as a scout and personnel executive.

By trading away Nelson, Dodds and owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon are pushing the Colts toward an obvious rebuild. The team does not have a first-round pick in 2027 after acquiring Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets last season, but it controls all future first-rounders after that.

Nelson, 30, was the sixth overall pick by the Colts in 2018 out of Notre Dame. In his nine seasons, Nelson is an eight-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro and three-time secont-team All-Pro. He's on an expiring contract, making him eligible for free agency in March.

The Seahawks, sitting at 4-3 after a dominant Sunday Night Football win over the Kansas City Chiefs, will utilize Nelson as their left guard. That will bump last year's standout first-round pick Grey Zabel to the right side, where he played throughout college, Schefter added.

Seattle has struggled to run the ball this season after losing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in free agency. The team is average 10 fewer rushing yards per game this season, so the hope is that Nelson will help improve that area.

Next up for the Seahawks is a Monday Night Football matchup with the Chicago Bears. The Colts will visit the Jacksonville Jaguars in their Week 8 game.