Seahawks, Colts' Updated Salary Caps, NFL Draft Picks After Quenton Nelson Trade

The Indianapolis Colts' potential trade deadline sell-off is underway after Quenton Nelson was traded to the Seattle Seahawks.

Per The Ringer's Tom Pelissero , the Colts will receive a third-round draft pick in 2027 and a fifth-round pick in 2028 from Seattle in exchange for Nelson.

Indianapolis also added a 2027 fourth-round pick while trading defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers, according to I an Rapoport of NFL Network.

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ESPN's Adam Schefter and Rapoport first reported Nelson was going to Seattle.

Since the Colts are without a first-round pick in 2027 stemming from the Sauce Gardner trade last year, this move does bring back some mid-round value for the club in the upcoming draft.

The Colts now have eight total picks in 2027, including two in rounds three, four and five. They have eight picks in 2028 with one in each round except the fifth when they will have their own plus Seattle's.

Seattle is projected to have three third-round selections in 2027 thanks to the comp picks. This deal will give the defending Super Bowl champs two in round three, but still 11 total in the upcoming draft. Its 2028 draft cache is down to five picks, minus the fifth-rounder going to Indy and a seventh-rounder going to the Atlanta Falcons.

Nelson, who is in the final year of his contract, is still owed $9.8 million for the remainder of this season.

Per Spotrac , the Seahawks entered the day with $2.9 million available in cap space; the Colts had the fourth-most cap space in the NFL at $29.9 million.

After the offensive line was an area of strength for the Seahawks during their Super Bowl season in 2025, the unit has struggled to replicate that performance so far this year.

Per ESPN's metrics , the Seahawks rank 21st in pass-block win rate and 27th in run-block win rate.

Seattle's interior offensive line after the trade will likely have Nelson taking over at left guard and Grey Zabel, who has started the first seven games at that spot, shifting to the right side.

The duo of Christian Haynes and Beau Stephens have struggled to hold down right guard. They were charged with eight pressures, including a total of four sacks and quarterback hits allowed, in Week 6 against the Denver Broncos, per Gordon McGuinness of PFF.com.

Zabel entered the NFL as a right guard when he was selected with the No. 18 overall pick out of North Dakota State in the 2025 draft.

While much of the discussion about the Seahawks' rushing decline so far this season has been attributed to the loss of Kenneth Walker III, blocking issues have also contributed to the problem.

The Seahawks rank 17th in rushing yards per game in 2026 after finishing tied for 10th last season. That difference puts more onus on Sam Darnold, who has historically been a high-turnover player.

Seattle had the fourth-fewest pass attempts last season, but it is currently at 14th through seven games.

The combination of Nelson on the offensive line and Zach Charbonnet, who was activated off the PUP list but didn't play in Week 7, should make the offense more formidable as the Seahawks look to catch the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West.