The Indianapolis Colts exercised the fifth-year option on the rookie contract of left guard Quenton Nelson, the team announced Wednesday.
A move that is a no-brainer and was widely-expected to happen, Nelson is now under contract for the 2022 season. The fifth-year option for Nelson is valued at $13.8 million and will be fully guaranteed.
Nelson has been everything the Colts could have asked for when they selected him with the No. 6 overall pick in 2018. Nelson has earned three first-team All-Pro selections and is widely considered as the best guard in the game.
The question with Nelson now becomes whether he actually plays the 2022 season on that fifth-year option. Though it’s possible, it is more likely the Colts sign him to a record extension for guards in the near future.
That said, they do have the luxury of keeping Nelson on that fifth-year option before signing that extension in expectation that the salary cap will rise after the pandemic season.
It will be interesting to see how that situation is navigated, but Nelson is now under contract for the next two seasons at the moment.
