'Can't Get Away From This Guy': Quenton Nelson Excited to Kick Off Seahawks' Tenure, Face Familiar Foe in Debut
There's a lot on Quenton Nelson's plate as he tries to acclimate to a new NFL team for the first time in his career. And now, his looming Seahawks debut has another enticing storyline against a long-time AFC South rival.
SEATTLE, Wash. - Adapting on the fly playing football outside of the state of Indiana for the first time since starring at the prep level in New Jersey more than a decade ago, Quenton Nelson has had quite the chaotic past 72 hours.
First, on Monday, Nelson met with Indianapolis Colts interim manager Ed Dodds, who informed him the team had been fielding calls on the five-time All-Pro selection from multiple teams, including from the Seattle Seahawks. The next morning, he received a text from the new sheriff calling the shots in the front office at his locker, learning that he would be taking his talents to the Pacific Northwest.
In a matter of hours, Nelson had booked a flight to the Emerald City, preparing to change teams for the first time in his nine-year NFL career. By Wednesday morning, as posted on the Seahawks official social media accounts, he had arrived at the VMAC, taking in his new surroundings with Halloween decor throughout the facility and meeting his new coaches and teammates.
"Being here in Seattle, driving in and then the couple times I've played here, it's a beautiful state, a cool city," Nelson told reporters in his introductory press conference on Thursday. "All the nature here is sick. Getting to meet some of the guys, everyone's been super welcoming already and the coaches as well. It's a family here. The equipment [staff], the trainers, it's been a great day and a half so far.”
While Nelson acknowledged leaving the team he had spent eight-plus seasons with in Indianapolis as "bittersweet," the shot to jump into a tight NFC West race with the defending Super Bowl champions far outweighs the negatives as he excitedly begins the next chapter of his illustrious career in Seattle.
And though much will be changing, not everything will feel different for Nelson, including launching his new journey out west against a long-standing rival who will also be in new threads in a Week 8 battle already carrying significant playoff ramifications.
