The 49ers got the reunion they were circling, and they didn’t have to pay nearly as much as they once did to get it done.
On Tuesday, Indianapolis agreed to send defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to San Francisco for a 2027 fourth-round pick, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The move arrived after the Colts had already traded All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson to the Seahawks earlier in the day, a clear sign the deadline selling had begun in earnest. It also came after the Colts fired GM Chris Ballard and after Buckner voiced frustration with the team’s three straight losses, capped by Sunday’s 16-10 defeat to the Vikings.
For Buckner, the landing spot is familiar. He started his NFL career in San Francisco, and now he’s back with the franchise that drafted him in the first round in 2016 before shipping him to Indianapolis in 2020 after the 49ers’ first Super Bowl appearance under Kyle Shanahan. This time, he returns as a three-time Pro Bowler and a player the 49ers hope can help push them back into the Super Bowl mix.
San Francisco needed the help. Even after trading for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa during the offseason, the 49ers still had obvious issues up front, especially after producing just three pressures against Michael Penix Jr. in their Week 7 loss to the Falcons.
Nick Bosa is slated to return, but the pass rush still needed more than one fix. The 49ers finished last in the NFL in sacks last season, and the answer was always going to involve multiple upgrades working alongside Bosa.
Buckner fits that need immediately, and he brings four sacks this season - more than anyone on the 49ers, with Keion White leading the team at 3.5.
The price also works in San Francisco’s favor. The 49ers sent Buckner away in 2020 for a first-round pick and now bring him back for a fourth-rounder. That lower cost is tied in part to the fact that he’s in the final year of his contract, giving San Francisco a chance to use him for a playoff push before he reaches free agency.
From the Colts’ side, the deal was hardly a surprise. Buckner was in his seventh season with the team, but once the losses piled up and he spoke out, he looked more likely to be moved than either Nelson or Jonathan Taylor. Indianapolis is already shifting toward the future, and Buckner is headed to a contender before Halloween.
His time with the Colts still had real value. Buckner made two Pro Bowls there and earned the lone first-team All-Pro nod of his career in 2020, the same season Indianapolis made its only playoff trip with him. But the current picture made the decision easier: the Colts rank 31st in passing yards allowed per game and 22nd in opponent success rate, and Buckner is 32 and in the final year of his deal.
The one real knock on the Colts’ return is that it wasn’t more. They got draft capital back, but not the kind of premium haul that would let them feel like they clearly won the trade. Still, the pick gives them something useful as they reset, while San Francisco gets a proven pass-rusher at a bargain price.
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Colts Just Sent A Painful Message About Their Deadline Plans
The Colts moved on from one of their most recognizable linemen on deadline day, dealing All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson to Seattle as a clear sign they were willing to make a tough football decision in the middle of the season. Nelson was in the final year of his contract, and the return gives Indianapolis future draft capital while closing the book on a player who has been a fixture of the offense for years.
For Seattle, the move is a straightforward bet on help up front, with the Seahawks taking on the rest of Nelsons deal to make the trade work. For Indianapolis, it leaves a bigger question hanging over the rest of the deadline window: whether this was the start of a broader reset, or simply the one deal they felt compelled to make before the market disappeared. [Read more 🡒]
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For Indianapolis, though, the more important takeaway is what Bynum has already become on this defense. He has been on the field every week, functioning as a steady starter and one of the secondarys main communicators even as the Colts have worked through uneven results. In a season where the defense has needed reliability, Bynum has given them exactly that, and the loss in Minneapolis only put a brighter spotlight on how much he brings beyond the postgame moment. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Just Sent Their Rebuild Into Another Gear
The Colts roster overhaul took another sharp turn with the decision to move on from DeForest Buckner, a longtime anchor on the defensive front and a three-time Pro Bowler. The trade comes with Indianapolis in the middle of a difficult season and signals that the organization is continuing to reset pieces while reworking the roster around what comes next.
Buckner was in the final year of his contract, and his departure sends him back to the place where his NFL career began. For the Colts, the move adds another layer to a rebuild that has already forced some hard choices, and it leaves plenty of questions about how far this reshaping will go before the season is over. [Read more 🡒]