The San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts agreed to a blockbuster deal Tuesday evening as Indianapolis appears to be in the middle of a fire sale.
Indianapolis traded six-time All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks for two future draft picks. Just hours later, they sent Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the 49ers in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
Trade: Colts are sending three-time Pro-Bowl DT DeForest Buckner back to the 49ers, the team that made him a 2016 first-round pick before dealing him to Indianapolis in 2020, per me and @rapsheet. Now Buckner returns to San Francisco, fortifying the 49ers defensive line. https://t.co/7sPd4Oei20
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 27, 2026
Buckner was in his seventh season with the Colts but spent his first four NFL seasons with the 49ers, who drafted him seventh overall out of Oregon in 2016.
Now, he returns to San Francisco, where his NFL career began, and goes from a 2-5 Colts team to a 6-1 49ers team with clear Super Bowl aspirations.
Pat McAfee Makes Strong Statement on Trade
Former Colts punter and current ESPN personality Pat McAfee reacted to the trade on Wednesday’s episode of “The Pat McAfee Show,” opening the program by discussing the deal between the 49ers and Colts for Buckner.
“After we go off air, DeForest Buckner, one of our best players, our staple, a man we traded a No. 1 overall pick for from the San Francisco 49ers, gets traded back to the San Francisco 49ers,” McAfee said on Wednesday. “When we were out there for Monday Night Football, a lot of Niners people were saying, hey, tell Buck we want him back … fans saying, hey, we want Buck back, we don’t like that we did that trade, we would like him back here.
“We would like to let DeForest Buckner know we are incredibly happy for him. You were a good football player for us. He had a neck injury for us. I mean, he put it all on the line for us, and whenever he was playing, he was great. He was a great leader, he was great in the community, he was great on the football field, and we couldn’t win. And now he gets an opportunity to go back to a team that has Super Bowl aspirations, Super Bowl expectations, and a culture that he knows very, very well. We get a fourth-round pick.”
DeForest Buckner has been traded to the San Francisco 49ers..
We’re incredibly happy for him and he was an unbelievable player for the Indianapolis Colts
#PMSLive https://t.co/g3vPVGNV6U
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 28, 2026
Looking at Buckner’s Addition to 49ers
Across his 11 seasons in the league, Buckner has been named a Pro Bowler three times and has totaled 75.5 sacks as one of the game’s premier interior rushers, which is something the 49ers desperately needed.
San Francisco recorded just three total pressures in last Sunday’s loss to the Falcons, resulting in zero sacks.
While the 49ers have recorded 15 sacks as a team this season, a major improvement from the 20 they totaled all of last year, which ranked last in the league, concerns remain about whether they can consistently generate pressure, especially with Nick Bosa missing the last few weeks due to injury.
Now, with the addition of Buckner and Bosa likely returning in Week 9, the 49ers could boast one of the best front sevens in the sport.
Pat McAfee Makes Strong Statement on 49ers, Colts Blockbuster Trade