Struggling AFC Team Expected to Be 'Open for Business' Before Trade Deadline

An NFL team could open the floodgates to a midseason sale before the Nov. 10 trade deadline.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said rival teams think the Indianapolis Colts will be "open for business" at the deadline. Fowler called it particularly "fascinating" to see whether they shop All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson in the final year of his contract.

Fellow ESPN insider Dan Graziano identified several other prominent players on expiring deals the Colts could move if they don't improve. The organization fired general manager Chris Ballard after falling to 2-4 with a Week 6 loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans.

"High-profile veteran players such as offensive lineman Quenton Nelson, defensive linemen DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart, and wide receivers Josh Downs and Keenan Allen are on contracts that expire at the end of the season," Graziano wrote. "If the Colts (who are without a 2027 first-round pick as a result of last year's Sauce Gardner trade) want to try to regain some draft capital, they could look to deal some players who they don't view as part of their future."

Fowler also wrote that "everything is on the table" for the Colts in terms of significant in-season changes. That includes benching struggling quarterback Daniel Jones and firing Shane Steichen, but Fowler believes the head coach will receive "more chances" this season.

However, the Colts aren't guaranteed to sell this fall. Fowler noted that owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon ended Monday's statement announcing Ballard's firing by saying she expects the team to "compete, improve, and win football games." Their next three games against the Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Dallas Cowboys could determine how they manage the deadline.

"If Indy can find a way to steal two wins in that slate, perhaps that affects trade plans," Fowler speculated. "But this iteration of the Colts does not look poised for upsets, so perhaps change is inevitable."