You don’t typically see a ton of NFL trades happen during the season until the trade deadline, but the Indianapolis Colts have kicked off the festivities early, dealing two of their best players a full two weeks before the deadline.

There are pros and cons to doing that. The cons are that you don’t get to maximize their value. If they wanted until the week of the deadline, multiple teams would’ve called and made offers, starting a bidding war, but instead, it feels like they took the first offer they got.

However, if Quenton Nelson or DeForest Buckner were to get hurt in the next two weeks, they wouldn’t be able to get anything for them. The Colts decided to play it safe and get both guys out the door before anything could happen to them.

The Colts still have two more assets that could fetch a solid return in RB Jonathan Taylor and WR Josh Downs, the latter of which has already requested a trade. It feels inevitable that those two will be dealt at some point in the next two weeks, so let’s grade the Colts’ two trades and look at some potential packages for Taylor and Downs.

Quenton Nelson Trade Grades

Seahawks Get: Quenton Nelson

Colts Get: 2027 third-round pick, 2028 fifth-round pick

I’ve seen so many people on social media saying the Colts couldn’t have gotten so much more for Nelson, and while I agree they could’ve been a bit more aggressive, realistically, they weren’t going to get a much better package than this.

Nelson is an 8-time Pro Bowler and a 3-time First-Team All-Pro guard, but he’s also on an expiring deal and 30 years old. It’s not like Seattle is getting an All-Pro, 25-year-old guard on a rookie contract. Anytime the team trading for the player has to re-sign them to a massive extension, trade compensation isn’t going to be high. Just look at Trent Williams in 2020. He was regarded as one of the best tackles in football, but he got traded for a fifth and third, and he was dealt before the season started, meaning San Fran got a full 16 games out of him, not just 10.

If the Seahawks waited until the deadline and had multiple teams bidding, I do think they could’ve gotten something like a second and seventh-rounder for Nelson, but overall, a third and fifth for a 30-year-old guard who wasn’t going to re-sign with you anyways really isn’t as bad of a deal as many think. Meanwhile, the Seahawks add to a loaded roster as they try to go back-to-back. I think this was a good move for both sides.

Seahawks Grade: B+

Colts Grade: B-

DeForest Buckner Trade Grades

49ers Get: DeForest Buckner

Colts Get: 2027 fourth-round pick

The San Francisco 49ers have been one of the best teams in the league this year, and they are never afraid to make midseason trades to better their chances in the postseason. We’ve seen them make big moves year after year, and this time, they went out and brought DeForest Buckner back to the Bay Area.

With Nick Bosa missing time this year, San Fran’s pass rush has been very lackluster. As a team, they’ve totaled 15 sacks in seven games, and only five of those have come from the interior of their defensive line. Meanwhile, Buckner has already racked up 4.0 sacks this season on his own.

Buckner is 32 years old and is in the final year of his contract, so much like Nelson, the Colts were never going to be able to sell him for a super high pick. If they waited til the deadline, though, they may have been able to fetch a third-rounder, or maybe a fourth plus some change. But still, a fourth for an aging defensive tackle on an expiring deal really isn’t that bad.

49ers Grade: A

Colts Grade: B+

Potential Trade Package For Jonathan Taylor

Now it’s time to talk about some potential trade packages for the two big assets the Colts have left. Let’s start with Jonathan Taylor, who, of all the Colts’ players, should fetch the biggest package.

To do this, let’s set the scene. Taylor is a 27-year-old running back who has four 1,000-yard seasons and has two more years left on his current contract. He carries a $21 million and $22 million cap hit in 2027 and 2028, respectively.

So, are there any recent trades that we could use as a comparison for Taylor?

The best comp we have is the Christian McCaffrey trade. CMC was 26 years old at the time, had some injury concerns, but was widely regarded as one of the top talents in the league and had three years remaining on a deal that averaged $16 million per season (which is pretty close to what Taylor’s $21 million deal is worth with cap inflation). McCaffrey ended up fetching Carolina a second, third, fourth, and fifth-rounder.

I don’t think Taylor will receive quite the same package as McCaffrey did, but the Colts do have the luxury of not needing to trade Taylor. He’s a very attractive piece to have if the Colts have a coaching search this offseason, so they can sit around and wait for teams to overpay.

Potential Package: 2027 second-round pick, 2027 fourth-round pick, 2028 fifth-round pick

Potential Trade Package For Josh Downs

Josh Downs has requested a trade from the Colts, so if only one of these two were to be traded, it feels like it would be Downs.

Downs had a hot start to his career, catching 68 passes for 771 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie before following it up with 803 yards and five scores in 14 games as a sophomore. However, 2025 was a bit of a down year, largely because of quarterback play late in the year, and he totaled just 566 yards and four scores.

Through seven games, Downs is on pace to finish with 745 yards this season, but I think many teams view him as a potential 1,000-yard guy in the right situation.

Downs is 25 years old and is super talented, but he is in the final year of his contract, which will hinder just how much the Colts can get in a trade for him.

Looking at some recent receiver trades, Rashid Shaheed and Jakobi Meyers seem like the best comps. Shaheed was 27 years old, on an expiring contract, and was in the midst of a 700-yard season when he was traded to Seattle at the deadline, and he was moved for a fourth and fifth-rounder. Jakobi Meyers was 28 years old, on an expiring deal, and in the midst of an 800-yard season when he was traded, and the Raiders received a fourth and sixth for him.

Downs is a bit younger, but that’s really the only difference between them. It feels like his price point is pretty much set, unless a ton of teams get into a bidding war and drive it up.

Potential Package: 2027 fourth-round pick, 2027 sixth-round pick