BREAKING: Colts Sign All-Pro G Quenton Nelson to Record-Breaking Extension
Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard has long abided by the philosophy that it is important to “pay your own.” That continued Saturday night.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Colts and All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson have agreed to a four-year, $80 million extension with $60 million guaranteed. The deal makes Nelson the highest-paid guard in NFL history.
Shortly after being drafted sixth overall by the Colts in the 2018 NFL Draft, Nelson took the title of the best guard in the NFL. In four seasons, Nelson has earned First-Team All-Pro honors three times and has been selected to the Pro Bowl every season. Nelson was also named the 28th-best player in the NFL according to the NFL's Top 100 list.
Questions swirled all offseason on when the extension would get done. Nelson repeatedly told reporters he was not going to talk about it. Ballard and Colts’ owner Jim Irsay were adamant that the deal would get done.
Now, less than 24 hours before the Colts kick off the 2022 season against the Houston Texans, Ballard and the Colts have locked up another cornerstone to a long-term extension. Nelson is the next player in a line of those drafted and signed to an extension by the Colts. Shaquille Leonard, Braden Smith, Ryan Kelly, Nyheim Hines, and Grover Stewart are some of the big names the Colts have rewarded with second contracts.
Much of the talk about Nelson’s extension was about how much should a guard be paid in the NFL. The best left tackles in the league are commanding north of $20 million per year, but no guard has ever signed for that much money. Ballard was clear that positional value does not come into play with special players.
“A player can transcend (positional value,)” Ballard said after training camp. “Chiefs didn’t have a problem paying that guard from New England (Joe Thuney) big money. What’s the difference? You pay your best players and (Nelson’s) special, and he’s special to us.”
Nelson completely transformed the Colts’ offensive line from the moment he stepped on the field. In 2017, the Colts gave up a league-worst 56 sacks. In 2018 after Nelson was drafted, the Colts allowed an NFL-best 18 sacks. Talk about an incredible turnaround.
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Nelson has also become a very respected leader within the Colts’ locker room. He was voted a captain for the second-consecutive season and holds teammates accountable on the field. Nelson embodies what the Colts look for in their leaders and backs it up with his high level of play.
Now, with the contract extension in the rearview mirror, Nelson can focus all of his attention on the 2022 season. 2021 was a down year according to Nelson’s standards as he fought with ankle and back injuries throughout the year. The injuries caused Nelson to miss his first game action in his career, and it was the first year he was not a First-Team All-Pro (he was voted a Second-Team All-Pro.)
But Nelson has put the injuries behind him. This offseason was the first time Nelson has not dealt with an injury or recovered from surgery. He’s as healthy as he has ever been, and coaches have noticed.
“I just think this is probably the best (Nelson’s) felt physically,” head coach Frank Reich said. “He always trains super hard but the combination of things he did to train this year, I think hit a sweet spot for him. I think his body is at a spot where it probably feels better than it has felt in a while.”
A fully-focused and fully-healthy Nelson is scary for the rest of the NFL. Nelson will be terrorizing opposing defensive lines while donning the Horseshoe for years to come.
It is safe to say that when the future Hall-of-Famer is pancaking defenders on the field, there will be little talk about how much is too much to pay a guard.
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