The San Francisco 49ers acquired three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle De Forest Buckner from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick on Tuesday. It was the second major deal the Colts made with an NFC West team that day, following the trade of eight-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks.
The move marks a return to San Francisco for Buckner, who spent his first four seasons with the 49ers after being selected with the seventh pick in the 2016 draft. Niners general manager John Lynch has called trading Buckner to the Colts in 2020 the most difficult decision of his 10-year tenure. On Tuesday, he righted that wrong. Buckner, 32, is entering the final year of his deal and was slated to become an unrestricted free agent after the season. With the trade, the Colts netted a 2027 fourth-round pick instead of the much lower compensatory selection they could have received had Buckner signed elsewhere.
Buckner's frustration had been building. After the Colts' third straight loss, to the Minnesota Vikings, he snapped at a reporter, saying, "I don't know. How about you guess. I'm frustrated. Same thing. We lost." Despite years of late-season collapses, he had remained loyal to the franchise and signed multiple extensions, but his patience appeared to be wearing thin.
The 6-1 Niners are in win-now mode. Buckner has four sacks this season, more than any San Francisco player through seven weeks, and he will start alongside Osa Odighizuwa on a line missing several key players to injury. The 49ers have struggled to generate pressure without blitzing, ranking second-worst in the NFL with a 23% pressure rate using four or fewer rushers.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing