Colts star running out of time for new deal as $80 million contract expires originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Indianapolis Colts are riding into the new season with quarterback Daniel Jones back from an injury and hopes high. The goal here is to break this team's five-year playoff drought, and the Colts have a strong offense in place to help do it. Of course, the Colts aren't favorites by any means. But, they also aren't the laughingstock of the NFL, either. Now, one NFL analyst is pointing to a contract situation that the Colts have to settle as soon as possible. This player isn't a household name, but he's one of the best in the NFL at his position, which is why he's already been paid a lot by the team. Quenton Nelson's contract situation could become a major storyline On Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN published a feature with a handful of NFL players to keep an eye on next offseason if they don't sign extensions. These players are players to keep an eye on throughout the season. For the Colts, he picked guard Quenton Nelson. Of course, Nelson signed a historic $80 million contract in September 2022, at the time making him the top-paid guard in NFL history. His deal expires after this season. In the piece, Fowler says that Nelson is in line for a big extension, but "talks are stagnant at the moment." "Nelson preferred to sign a deal before training camp, which came and went," he adds. "Though discussions haven't intensified, the Colts could pursue a deal before Week 1 kicks off Sept. 13." Fowler projects that Nelson will have to be the "highest-paid interior offensive lineman, which means topping Las Vegas Raiders center Tyler Linderbaum's three-year, $81 million deal ($27 million per year). The highest-paid guard is the Tennessee Titans' Peter Skoronski at $25 million annually." So, any way you slice it, it's going to be big money here. There's no way the Colts let this one slip away. More NFL news:
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