Quenton Nelson’s Seahawks tenure has already gone off to a bumpy start.
Nelson, who was shipped to Seattle from the Colts on Oct. 27, is now sidelined with a knee injury for the foreseeable future, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald revealed to reporters on Friday.
Macdonald noted that Nelson, 30, is “week-to-week” and clarified that the team does not plan to place him on injured reserve, though he will be out for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.
“There’s a timeline right now that warrants not IR, so that’s what we’re going to do,” Macdonald added.
The eight-time Pro Bowler has played in just one game for the Seahawks since his arrival and will also have to undergo a minor procedure on his knee.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Nelson will have surgery to clean out some cartilage in his knee.
Macdonald added that Nelson was dealing with knee problems upon arriving from Indianapolis, with the symptoms worsening in the days since.
“We re-imaged it, and it was aggravated to some degree,” Macdonald said. “So we’ve kind of done the due diligence, and everybody agrees it’s best to take care of it now and play the long game.”
The Colts sent the New Jersey native to Seattle in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick during the team’s fire sale following their rough start to the 2026 season.
A week before the trade, Nelson, who was drafted by the Colts with the No. 6 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, discussed potentially being shipped off after the team fired general manager Chris Ballard.
“I love it here. I met my wife here. I really appreciate and love this organization,” Nelson told reporters on Oct. 21. “It’s been a long career here.
“Made a lot of friendships and bonds here that I don’t take for granted.”
