DeForest Buckner’s wish has been granted, and the Indianapolis Colts’ fire sale is blazing.
The Colts are sending Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round draft pick, NFL Insiders Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday.
Indianapolis later announced the transaction.
Buckner, who had previously expressed his displeasure being part of a 2-5 Colts operation, is suddenly part of a first-place 6-1 squad. He’s headed back to a 49ers franchise that drafted him seventh overall in 2016 before trading him to Indianapolis in 2020 in exchange for a first-round choice.
Buckner, 32, also is following his now-former teammate, guard Quenton Nelson, to the NFC West as Nelson was dealt earlier Tuesday to the Seattle Seahawks.
As the 49ers and Seahawks are amid an arms race with division title hopes and Super Bowl aspirations, the Colts, fresh off firing general Chris Ballard, are stocking up on picks, as Ballard had shorted the reserve of draft capital to go all-in last year.
Absent a first-round pick in 2027 (traded to New York Jets), Indy has acquired 2027 third- and fourth-round draft picks and a 2028 fifth-rounder in the Buckner and Nelson swaps as it seems poised to miss the playoffs for the sixth straight year. Running back Jonathan Taylor, defensive lineman Grover Stewart and wide receiver Josh Downs have each been names mentioned as potential trade candidates, so it’s unlikely the selling is done just yet for the Colts.