After a big win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football last week, the Green Bay Packers are right back in the thick of things in the NFC North.
With just a couple of weeks until the NFL’s trade deadline, it’s time to start think about potential trade candidates and sellers across the league.
For the Packers, one could note that one of their two biggest needs is defensive line help, as the group has battled injuries this season.
If the Indianapolis Colts decide to blow things up at the deadline, one potential option for the Packers is DT DeForest Buckner. Buckner, tied to a two-year, $46 million deal, has expressed his frustration with the Colts organization, and after their latest GM firing, he could be the first one out the door in a potential blockbuster trade.
More NFL on Heavy: San Francisco 49ers Trade Prediction Lands Colts’ WR Amid Mike Evans Speculation
Packers-Colts Trade Pitch Lands DeForest Buckner
DeForest Buckner is a 3X Pro Bowl defensive tackle, and he remains at the top of his game in 2026 with 4.0 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, and eight QB hits in six games played.
If the Packers were to try and trade for Colt’s DT Buckner, a 3rd-round draft pick in exchange seems like a fair ask, considering the Packers would be taking on the contract.
Green Bay’s argument for Buckner is essentially the same as for Vea, though Buckner is a considerably better pass-rusher from the interior of the defense. The Packers are light on DTs due to injuries, namely the season-ending one for Javon Hargrave.
The Colts are 2-4 and likely headed to 2-5 with a road game in Minnesota this weekend. Indy is in a transitional phase after firing its longtime GM on Monday, while the GB defense is picking up steam. Micah Parsons will be back in a couple of weeks, so adding a player like Buckner now could give the unit an entirely different, and potentially elite, feel going down the stretch of the second half of the regular season.
A third-round pick is steep, but worth it, for a good player in the final year of his contract.
Taking a Quick Look at DeForest Buckner’s NFL Career
DeForest Buckner is an NFL veteran of 11 seasons.
He’s spent the past seven seasons with the Colts.
Across 157 total games played in the NFL, he’s logged 75.5 sacks, 678 tackles, 101 TFLs, and 196 QB hits.
It would be a seismic trade for NFC North implications, but it’s also fair to assume that there would be plenty of other team’s that will be asking the Colts about what it would take to acquire Buckner.
Green Bay Packers Trade Pitch Lands Colts’ $46 Million DT