No Deal Close Between Colts, Quenton Nelson?

Negotiations between the Colts and Nelson were reportedly “stagnant” as of Sept. 2. The Colts were still 11 days from starting their season, seemingly providing enough time to come to terms, but nothing materialized before their 41-23 loss to the Ravens in Week 1.

There isn’t a sense anything is imminent as the Colts prepare for Week 2, according to ESPN’s Stephen Holder, who notes that in-season extensions are atypical for the club. That may leave Nelson to play the season without long-term security, but he is unfazed.

“Doesn’t matter,” he told Holder on Sunday morning. “It’s Week 1. Time to play.”

Nelson played all 54 of the Colts’ offensive snaps on Sunday, continuing an impressive run of durability for the eight-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro. Nelson is 7 for 8 when it comes to playing full seasons. The only four absences of his career came after he went on IR with an ankle injury in 2021. The 30-year-old will aim for another 17-game campaign in 2026, potentially the final season of his illustrious Colts tenure.

Another multiyear deal, whether it’s with the Colts or another team, should position Nelson to become the NFL’s highest-paid guard for the second time. He earned that honor when he signed his current contract, but there are now five other guards averaging more than his $20MM annual salary. The Titans’ Peter Skoronski, who inked a four-year, $100MM extension during training camp, leads the way at $25MM per annum.

While Skoronski is at the head of the pack among guards, no interior lineman is making more per season than Raiders center Tyler Linderbaum. The former Raven is averaging $27MM on the three-year, $81MM contract he signed in free agency during the offseason. Nelson has an argument to surpass Linderbaum in per-year average, as PFR’s Sam Robinson wrote in a Trade Rumors Front Office piece in early July.

Three weeks later, general manager Chris Ballard – who drafted Nelson sixth overall in 2018 – called the lineman a “pillar” and indicated he wanted to get an extension done. For whatever reason, though, Nelson’s future remains uncertain with the season underway. If that doesn’t change by March, the Colts will have the option of keeping Nelson off the open market via the franchise tag. That should cost around $30MM, though it is no sure thing Ballard will be the one making that call. The 10th-year GM may not survive if the Colts’ playoff drought climbs to six seasons in 2026.