The Arena · Football · Oct 27, 2026
Colts Send DeForest Buckner Back to the 49ers for a Fourth-Round Pick
By The Arena Staff
INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 27, 2026 — The Colts were not finished after trading Quenton Nelson. A few hours later on Tuesday, they sent DeForest Buckner home.
Indianapolis traded the three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2027 fourth-round pick, the team announced. It was the Colts' second deal of the day with an NFC West contender, after Nelson went to Seattle for a 2027 third-rounder and a 2028 fifth-rounder.
For Buckner, it is a homecoming. The 49ers drafted him seventh overall in 2016, and he spent four seasons in San Francisco before the team traded him to Indianapolis in March 2020 for the 13th overall pick in that year's draft. George Kittle did not wait long to weigh in, posting "DEFOOOOO THE BOYS ARE BACK" on X shortly after the news broke.
The 32-year-old leaves Indianapolis with 47 sacks over seven seasons, according to Colts.com and the Associated Press. He has started all seven games this season and has 31 tackles and four sacks, and that sack total is more than any 49ers player has this year, according to NFL.com and ESPN reporting carried by TSN.
The two teams are headed in opposite directions. The 49ers are 6-1 and lead the NFC West, but their defensive front has been battered, with star edge rusher Nick Bosa missing multiple games with a calf injury. The Colts are 2-5, fired general manager Chris Ballard on Oct. 19 and do not have their own 2027 first-round pick, which went to the New York Jets.
That is why a fourth-round pick made sense for Indianapolis. Buckner is in the final year of his contract and could have walked in free agency after the season. Instead, the Colts added three draft picks in one afternoon, and NFL.com and CBS Sports both named running back Jonathan Taylor and wide receiver Josh Downs as other Colts who could be moved before the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
The Colts announced the trade on their official X account.
Sources: Colts.com, NFL.com, CBS Sports and TSN.
Also confirmed by: NFL.com, "Colts trade DeForest Buckner to 49ers for 2027 fourth-round pick," Oct. 27, 2026 · CBS Sports, "DeForest Buckner trade: Colts send DT back to 49ers in exchange for 2027 fourth-round pick," Oct. 27, 2026 · TSN (ESPN), "Report: Colts trade DE Buckner to 49ers in another major move," Oct. 27, 2026
Story summarized and written by The Arena from the reports above; all reporting credit belongs to those outlets.
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