Colts continue talent selloff, sending DeForest Buckner to 49ers, while making the New York Jets happier
The Indianapolis Colts are blowing it up, folks.
Indianapolis continues a seemingly inexorable plan to sell off some of its best players in exchange for draft assets and the latest is the club has agreed to send defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers.
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It is Indy’s second trade of a former Pro Bowl player that interim general manager Ed Dodds negotiated Tuesday.
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Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson (56) drinks water on the sideline Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, during a game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston. (Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK)
Buckner is returning to the same team that drafted him in 2016 and he played for until through 2019 before he arrived in Indianapolis in time for the 2020 season.
The Colts are reportedly getting a fourth-round pick for Buckner in the 2027 draft, according to the NFL Network.
The 49ers are getting an interior defensive line force that they traded back in 2020 for the No. 13th overall selection.
And now, after six seasons and 420 tackles, including 47 sacks, in Indy, Buckner is on his way back.
The trade is pending a physical.
Jonathan Taylor No. 28 of the Indianapolis Colts reacts after a 24-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter of an NFL game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 20, 2026, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Colts fans might need a physical because Tuesday has signaled what they all thought might be coming: The team showing that it is no longer prioritizing salvaging the 2026 season, but instead is planning for the future.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Colts traded perennial Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Colts on Tuesday have added a 2027 third-round pick, a 2027 fourth-round pick, and a 2028 fifth-round pick.
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And they might not be finished.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Keenan Allen runs through a drill during a joint training camp practice with the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 20, 2026, at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Ind. (Icon Sportswire)
As OutKick and Fox News Digital has reported, the team continues to discuss trade options with other teams about other players.
The other players include running back Jonathan Taylor, defensive tackle Grover Stewart, receivers Keenan Allen and Josh Downs, and perhaps others.
The Colts are obviously looking beyond this season but there will be fallout and perhaps consequences from these moves.
With less talent, it is likely the struggling Colts will continue to head in the wrong direction the remainder of this season. That’s not good news for head coach Shane Steichen who was under a mandate to win this year to guarantee he’d be retained into the future.
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Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner warms up before a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., on Sept. 20, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
And, meanwhile, the New York Jets are celebrating.
The Jets last season traded Sauce Gardner to the Colts when Indianapolis was an aggressive buyer at the trade deadline. The Jets got a 2026 first-round pick and 2027 first-round pick in that deal.
The more the Colts lose the remainder of this season with a roster that is measurably weaker following Tuesday’s trades, the higher the Jets’ 2027 first-rounder will likely be.
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