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The Indianapolis Colts have started their rebuild.
They traded Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday in exchange for a third- and a fifth-round pick, according to multiple reports.
On its surface, the deal makes sense. The Colts are 2-5, and Nelson will be a free agent at the end of the season.
One point is being brought up, though, and it’s an interesting one: Nelson is the best offensive guard, or one of the best, in the NFL. Couldn’t the Colts have given him the franchise tag?
The “he’s on an expiring contract” argument only really matters if the tag wasn’t an option
There’s no way around the fact that the Colts sold low on one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL
A strange decision that starts the rebuild but not on the right foot…
— Destin Adams (@TheDestinAdams) October 27, 2026
Technically, yes they could have given him the franchise tag at the end of the year to keep Nelson around for another season.
But the way the NFL calculates such things would’ve made that a lot tougher than it first appears.
And while you’re here — read more about Jonathan Taylor and DeForest Buckner’s futures at this link.
Why Quenton Nelson, Franchise Tag Didn’t Add Up For Colts
The franchise tag is a means for teams to keep their own players even when they reach free agency, if a longer-term contract extension can’t be reached.
It’s calculated by averaging out the top salaries at a given position, and that determines the salary for the player on the franchise tag for the next season.
The problem comes on the offensive line, where the NFL doesn’t differentiate between tackles, guards and centers.
The highest-paid offensive linemen are all tackles. Interior offensive linemen (guards and centers) are paid much less on average.
Next season’s franchise tag on the offensive line would cost in the ballpark of $30 million. That would make Nelson the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in NFL history by a lot.
Could the Colts have chosen to keep Nelson around and make that investment? Sure, but it would’ve gone against all sorts of salary precedent.
Quenton Nelson Trade Value
Nelson’s trade value reflects a couple of realities, even as Colts fans might wish they could’ve gotten more than a third- and a fifth-round pick.
One is the fact that guards, just like in the salary tables, are less valuable than tackles. Nelson can be a key contributor for the Seahawks, but that doesn’t mean the Colts — with no real leverage — could’ve gotten more elsewhere.
The other truth is that Nelson could be just a rental for the Seahawks. They also are unlikely to franchise tag him, so he could go to the highest bidder next offseason in free agency. Seattle, and no other team, was going to pay more with that in mind.
So the Colts got what they could, and they probably have more trades to come.
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Billy Heyen Billy Heyen is a Heavy contributor with focus on the NFL and MLB. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who spent his senior year following Jim Boeheim's basketball team around the country. His reporting work has also included extensive work for The Sporting News, the Sandusky Register and Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle. Adventures in sports writing have also led to in-person coverage of the Buffalo Sabres, Cleveland Guardians, U.S. men's national soccer team and a variety of minor league baseball stories. More about Billy Heyen
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