After trading Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks to begin the great Indianapolis Colts fire sale, interim general manager Ed Dodds sent another one of his star players to the NFC West, reuniting DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers for a fourth-round pick.
Taking to social media to announce the deal, ESPN's Adam Schefter broke down the move and explained how Buckner fits into San Francisco's current plans as their defensive line returns to form across a series of tweets.
“Trade: Colts are sending three-time Pro-Bowl DT DeForest Buckner back to the 49ers, the team that made him a 2016 first-round pick before dealing him to Indianapolis in 2020, per me and Ian Rapoport. Now Buckner returns to San Francisco, fortifying the 49ers defensive line,” Schefter wrote in a series of tweets.
Article Continues Below“The 49ers have now made two major moves to bolster their DT room, adding Osa Odighizuwa from the Cowboys this offseason and DeForest Buckner from the Colts today. The 49ers expect to get Nick Bosa back in the near future from his calf injury. When he returns, he’ll reunite with DeForest Buckner, who was his teammate during Bosa’s rookie season in 2019. DeForest Buckner was traded from SF to IND in 2020 for the No. 13 overall pick in the Draft. After 6+ seasons with Indianapolis, he’s now headed back to San Francisco.”
An 11-year NFL vet who has been named to the Pro Bowl three times and the All-Pro list twice, Buckner started all seven of the games he appeared in for the Colts so far in 2026, amassing four sacks, 31 tackles, and eight quarterback hits over 353 defensive snaps. Now reunited with the team that drafted him, it will be interesting to see if the Oregon product can continue to dominate and make another strong case for a Pro Bowl or even an All-Pro appearance at 32.