Don't let the letter grades fool you. They more reflect the position each team is in rather than a comparison of traded assets.
The Seattle Seahawks (4-3, currently 6th in the NFC playoff standings) seek a second straight Super Bowl championship while competing in a top division. Adding a top-flight offensive lineman may make them a contender.
The Indianapolis Colts (2-5) need to look at the future in the wake of the firing of general manager Chris Ballard and three consecutive losses. Losing perennial Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson hurts, of course, but they need draft picks. (If they didn't trade him and he signed elsewhere in the offseason — the 30-year-old is in the final year of his contract — the compensatory draft pick would likely be a third-rounder.)
The Colts sent Nelson to Seattle on Tuesday, Oct. 27, for a 2027 third-round draft pick and a '28 fifth-rounder. Could they have received earlier picks from another team? Perhaps, but the seller has less leverage in this case.
NFL trade grades: Colts trade Quenton Nelson to Seahawks
Daniel Popper, The Athletic: Colts B+, Seahawks A+
"The Colts had no choice but to start moving on from some veterans. This version of the team is going nowhere. They did well to get a third-round pick back for a player on an expiring deal who turns 31 in March. However, Nelson is still playing at a very high level, and I would have bumped this into the 'A' range if the Colts had gotten a second-round pick."
Kevin Patra, NFL.com: Colts B, Seahawks A
"I was somewhat surprised Indy couldn’t get a second-round pick back, given the overwhelming need across the league along the offensive line. But we know that GMs are stingier in-season, then become drunken sailors on draft day, so maybe I shouldn’t be so amazed.
"I can’t blame the Colts for moving any and all assets to recoup Chris Ballard's mistakes, but I wonder if they’d have gotten more by waiting until closer to the deadline? Without a first-round pick, which right now would be in the top 10, and a roster riddled with holes, the next general manager needs as much ammo as possible."
ESPN: Colts B+, Seahawks A-
"This was also an easily logical move for the Colts. The 2026 season is lost, and Nelson is a pending free agent. Whatever value he would bring to the team in the second half of the season pales in comparison to what he brings to the Seahawks, and the draft capital return is more than they would get in compensatory picks (which are never a guarantee, anyway) had Nelson left in free agency. Plus, they save money on the remainder of his 2026 salary."
Jordan Dajani, CBS Sports: Colts C+, Seahawks A
"It's hard for the Colts to 'win' this kind of trade. Not only are they selling off elite talent at a discount, but a move like this also signals that the Colts' 2026 season is over. They aren't the sleeper in the AFC South fans hoped they would be, and it just opens the door for other players like Jonathan Taylor or DeForest Buckner to be moved. Remember, the Colts do not own their 2027 first-round pick after sending it to the New York Jets for Sauce Gardner last year."
Mike Kadlick, Sports Illustrated: Colts C+, Seahawks A
"While it may seem like the Colts could have done better here, this is what happens when the league knows you’re in sell-mode near the trade deadline. Other teams will call your bluff when you have little leverage, and that’s exactly what could have happened in Indianapolis’s case."
Cory Woodroof, For the Win: Colts B, Seahawks A
"The Colts are in the midst of a free fall, and Nelson was a free agent in 2027. Getting a third for him essentially moves up a comp pick a year; getting a fifth for 2028 is the icing on top. Could the team have netted a second rounder for such a talented guard who should still have good football in front of him? It's fair to wonder. Trading a player like Nelson waives a white flag on the 2026 season. However, the value likely equals more than what they'd get if they just let him walk and got the comp pick back. It's not a bad trade at all; we just wonder if Indianapolis would have gotten more in return if they'd just waited a little closer to the trade deadline. Such is life."
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: NFL trade grades: Did the Indianapolis Colts win the trade with the Seattle Seahawks?