Not many fans or analysts would have predicted that the Las Vegas Raiders would be potential buyers at the 2026 trade deadline. Perhaps they still shouldn't be at this point in their rebuild, but a 3-3 start to the season puts a playoff appearance within reach.
If the Raiders do decide to pluck a veteran away from a selling team, Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson is an obvious target. The Colts could be willing to deal after firing general manager Chris Ballard, and the Raiders could use an upgrade from Spencer Burford at left guard.
Las Vegas may be hesitant to pour more resources into the interior of its offensive line with so many other roster needs, but a Nelson deal is at least worth exploring.
A Quenton Nelson trade could fix Raiders' offense in more ways than one
The Raiders currently rank 32nd in rushing success rate, 31st in EPA per rush, and 31st in yards before contact per rush. A year after drafting a running back in the top ten. Even if the offensive ecosystem as a whole has dramatically improved this year, the running game is still broken.
Trading for Nelson would be the fastest way to fix the rushing attack. He has been one of the best run blockers in the NFL for almost a decade and doesn't seem to be slowing down. This season, his PFF run-blocking grade of 88.3 ranks second among 58 guards with at least 200 snaps.
Burford, whom Nelson would replace, ranks 40th.
He would be a major upgrade in the passing game, too. So far this season, Nelson has only allowed pressure on 1.3% of his pass-blocking snaps and hasn't given up a sack. Burford, on the other hand, is allowing pressure nearly 4% of the time.
Trading for Quenton Nelson would give Raiders the NFL's most expensive IOL
In a vacuum, upgrading one of the weakest positions on the roster with a perennial All-Pro seems like a no-brainer. But a Nelson trade wouldn't come cheap.
Garrett Podell of CBS Sports estimates that the guard would cost a second-round pick in a trade or potentially a first-rounder if multiple teams are bidding. That's a steep price for a 30-year-old, even if he is a Hall of Fame lock.
But the cost doesn't end there. Nelson is on an expiring contract and would need to be extended after the trade. His next deal could cost around $24 million per year, according to Spotrac. With Tyler Linderbaum's deal already on the books, that would leave the Raiders with two interior offensive linemen accounting for over $50 million yearly.
That's hard to justify, especially with other weaknesses still on the roster.
Still, the juice might be worth the squeeze if Nelson can maintain his level of play for a few more years. This is a deal that the Raiders should at least look into before the deadline.
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