Colts Trade DeForest Buckner to 49ers for 2027 Fourth-Round Pick
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Indianapolis sends the three-time Pro Bowler back to San Francisco as the franchise clears salary cap space amid management changes.
The Indianapolis Colts have traded defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2027, as CBS Sports first reported via ESPN.
Buckner, 32, returns to the organization that originally selected him seventh overall in 2016. He previously played for the 49ers until the 2019 season before arriving in Indianapolis for the 2020 campaign. In his 11-year career spanning 158 games, Buckner has recorded 75.5 sacks and 683 combined tackles. This season, he contributed four sacks and 31 combined tackles over seven starts.
Buckner joins a San Francisco unit that ranks fourth in the league in total yards allowed per game (299.3) and fifth in run defense (89.0 yards per game). He will slot into a defensive line featuring DE Mykel Williams and DT Osa Odighizuwa, while joining a defense that includes LB Fred Warner and DE Nick Bosa, per CBS Sports.
The move comes during a period of volatility for the Colts, who currently hold a 2-5 record. CBS Sports reports that Indianapolis recently fired general manager Chris Ballard. In addition to the Buckner trade, the Colts dealt Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday. Combined, these moves cleared more than $17.7 million in salary cap space and netted the team three draft picks, including two in 2027 and one in 2028. CBS Sports further notes that wide receiver Josh Downs and running back Jonathan Taylor are other players who may be traded soon.
While the Colts struggle in the AFC South, the 49ers sit in first place in the NFC West with a 6-1 record.