The Seattle Seahawks reportedly traded a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick for likely future Pro Football Hall of Fame left guard Quenton Nelson. To make the trade worthwhile, Seattle's next move is clear: Extend Nelson; otherwise, weird things will happen.
Not so much with the trade pieces, of course. Seattle was projected to have at least three third-round picks next year, so giving up one of them is no big deal. That's especially true for a player like Nelson, but that's the entire point of what happens next.
Second-year player and 2025 first-round choice, Grey Zabel is a good player, but he's no Nelson. Few players in the history of the league are. The assumption is that Zabel eventually gets flipped to the right side and plays guard there. One would not expect him to fill in at left tackle while Charles Cross is out with an ankle sprain.
Seattle Seahawks need to extend Quenton Nelson after trading for him
Right guard is currently manned by Anthony Bradford, but he is a free agent after this season and shouldn't be retained. His backups are Christian Haynes and Beau Stephens. Stephens has promise, but is not a guarantee of being a long-term starter.
What makes the most sense is Nelson signing an extension for at least two more seasons, Zabel being the starter at right guard, and then the Seahawks' offensive line going from decent most of the time to being among the best in the league.
Bradford might ultimately be a loser from the trade, but Zabel shouldn't be. He shouldn't go from a quality starter to Nelson's backup for a half-season. That doesn't make much sense, because the real problem with the line was right guard, not Zabel.
Offensive coordinator Brian Fleury is a winner from the trade, too. Ideally, he wants to run the ball quite a bit, but without Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet, the rushing attack has been inconsistent. Part of the reason is that the offensive line hasn't been good at run-blocking. Nelson instantly fixes that.
Sam Darnold is also a winner because he knows he will have better pass protection with Quenton Nelson in front of him. The quarterback has struggled, but has less of an excuse to do so with Nelson at left guard.
But Fleury, Darnold, and the rushing attack don't stay winners; Nelson isn't either extended or re-signed. The left guard won't be cheap and could cost as much as $25 million a season. He's proven to be worth that, though, and the deal should be done.
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