As one veteran defensive tackle heads to the San Franciso 49ers from the Indianapolis Colts with DeForest Buckner, one veteran 49ers defensive tackle is leaving the 49ers for the Colts.
“Colts signed Kevin Givens off 49ers practice squad,” NFL reporter Aaron Wilson wrote on his official X account on Friday.
Givens, 6-foot-1 and 285 pounds, has been with the 49ers since 2019 and has played in 2 games this season.
“We have signed DT Kevin Givens to the 53-man roster,” the Colts wrote on their official X account.
“The Colts signed Kevin Givens off of the 49ers practice squad,” Coach Yac wrote on their official X account.
Kevin Givens Made 49ers Roster as UDFA in 2019
Givens left Penn State with one year of eligibility remaining — and after already earning his degree — and made the 49ers roster in 2019 as an undrafted free agent, eventually playing in the Super Bowl that season.
Over the next four seasons, Givens was a mainstay on the roster, playing in at least 13 regular-season games each year — including a career-high 11 starts in 2022 and all 17 regular-season games in 2023 as the 49ers made it to the Super Bowl for a second time with him on the roster.
49ers Made Blockbuster Trade for All-Pro DT
The 49ers made a blockbuster trade on Tuesday to bring back NFL All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, a 1st-round pick by San Francisco in 2016.
“Reunion! The Colts are trading three-time Pro Bowl DL DeForest Buckner to the 49ers for a 2027 fourth-round pick,” The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero wrote on his official X account on Tuesday. “Buckner came to San Francisco as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2016. A decade later, he’s back.”
“The long anticipated reunion comes to fruition,” ESPN’s Nick Wagoner wrote on X. “Trading Buckner was what John Lynch called the hardest move he’s had to make as a GM. Getting him back for a 4th-round pick, perhaps one of the easiest.”
49ers Lose Veteran DT to Colts Following DeForest Buckner Trade