SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers are bringing back three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner after acquiring their former first-round pick in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday.
The Colts announced the trade and said they will receive a 2027 fourth-round pick.
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ESPN first reported the deal.
This was the second major deal made by Indianapolis on Tuesday with the team also trading All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson to Seattle for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder. Now Nelson and Buckner will have a chance to square off as NFC West rivals when the 49ers host the Seahawks in Week 12.
Buckner was a stalwart on San Francisco's defense after being drafted seventh overall in 2016 and will provide a big boost to an injury-depleted line this season. Buckner was a key part of the rebuild that started when coach Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch took over in 2017 and helped the Niners reach the Super Bowl in the 2019 season.
San Francisco then traded Buckner the following offseason to Indianapolis in what Shanahan and Lynch have described as one of the toughest moves they have made.
Bringing him back will be a popular move in the locker room among the veterans who played with Buckner on the Niners.
The 49ers have been looking to replace Buckner ever since with Javon Kinlaw failing to fill that role after being drafted 14th overall in 2020.
The 32-year-old Buckner is still playing at a high level with 20 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, and four sacks while playing 82% of the defensive snaps for the Colts.
Buckner has 75 1/2 sacks, 101 tackles for loss and nine forced fumbles in 158 games with San Francisco and Indianapolis.
He joins Osa Odighizuwa on the interior for San Francisco, along with rookie Gracen Halton. San Francisco lost Alfred Collins to a season-ending knee injury and is also playing without injured C.J. West.
San Francisco is on a bye this week and is currently in first place in the NFC West with a 6-1 record.
The Colts are going in the opposite direction at 2-5 and having fired general manager Chris Ballard last week. Co-owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon telegraphed there may be trades coming when she announced Ballard's firing that came one day after the Colts fell to 2-4, losing to the previously winless Tennessee Titans on their home field, amid a chorus of boos and chants of “Fire Ballard.”
The Colts lost their third straight, and for the 12th time in 14 games Sunday at unbeaten Minnesota. That prompted the two deals Tuesday.
“As I said at the start of the season, the sense of urgency has never been higher. Our standard is to compete for championships, and I believe a change in leadership is necessary to meet that standard,” she said last week. “Making this change during the season was a deliberate decision. Waiting would only delay the important work that needs to begin now.”
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AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
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