Getty DeForest Buckner sacks Patrick Mahomes during the Super Bowl in January 2020 which, eventually, became Buckner's last game as a 49er.
Emotions are set to run high the moment DeForest Buckner lines up in a three-point stance on Sunday night against his old team, the San Francisco 49ers.
He clearly remembers the organization he gave every ounce of heart and soul into for four seasons — and the same team that traded him away.
Buckner, who was sent to the Indianapolis Colts just 19 months ago, will get a crack at his old team at Levi’s Stadium for the first time since the deal on Sunday Night Football. And on the morning of Wednesday, October 20, Buckner sent this message:
“It’s a little personal, if you want to say that,” the defensive end told Mike Chappell of Fox59/CBS4 Indianapolis.
Colts’ business trip to Frisco this weekend. DeForest Buckner goes back to where it started. Not just another game.
“It’s a little personal, if you want to say that.”
Poured heart and soul into Niners organization, then traded to Indy last offseason.
Buckner Wanted Meeting Before Trade
According to Over the Cap, Buckner was set to make a base salary of $720,000, with $2.9 million in guaranteed salary in his final year with the 49ers.
However, the former Oregon Duck Buckner began to see the writing on the wall — his teammate Arik Armstead got signed to a five-year, $85 million deal which began to put Buckner’s future in S.F. in doubt.
He still hoped for a meeting with the 49ers front office, particularly John Lynch, which he revealed in a conference call with Bay Area reporters on Wednesday morning.
“When I had my conversation with John, I told him, `Look, my agent is telling me I’m worth this, but obviously I’m able to meet in the middle,’ ” Buckner said. “Someway, somehow, I want to be here. But I didn’t want to take too big of a pay cut to where I know what I’m actually worth.”
But, the trade happened and the 49ers went on to draft Javon Kinlaw at No. 14 in the 2020 draft as his eventual replacement. For Buckner, the move forced him away from the west coast for the first time in his life, as he grew up in Hawaii then played his college ball at Oregon and has an offseason home in his wife’s hometown of Fresno, California. The move left Buckner shocked.
“I feel like I did all the right things on and off the field,” Buckner said. “Obviously, I wanted to be there long term. When you’re drafted to an organization, your initial thoughts are, ‘I want to be here until I retire,’ but unfortunately it didn’t shake out that way. That’s just the nature of the business. That’s the thing that kind of sucks with the whole salary cap situation.”
Is Buckner Happy as a Colt?
Even though the two parties went their separate ways, Buckner says the Colts have made him happier and more appreciated.
“It is what it is. But I’m very happy with where I’m at,” Buckner said. “I’m at a great place in Indianapolis. I was very fortunate that this organization, which is a great organization, looked at my film and saw what I could bring to the table.”
He adds that the move has given him personal growth.
“I feel like I grew from that move,” Buckner said. “It made me step out of my comfort zone in a lot of ways. It helped me grow as a man, as a player, as a teammate, as a father, a husband and a leader.”
In his 20 starts with the Colts, the 6-foot-7, 285-pound Buckner has snatched 11.5 sacks. He’s been able to provide this type of aggression in the trenches for the Colts:
My goodness DeForest Buckner 😤😤
(🎥: Colts)
Outside of playing defensive end, the Colts are able to plug his inside where he still wrecks havoc:
Gotten a lot of tweets questioning the Colts’ D line in Sunday’s game. You guys aren’t watching. They’re not the problem. Here is DeForest Buckner on the first play of the 2nd half. He blows up the entire play. He finished with 6 tackles, incl. 4 solos. Watch:
And displayed here against the Houston Texans from 2020:
DeForest Buckner was outside of his mind against the Texans.
Push-pulled Kelemete and Sharping into another dimension and regularly moved Watson off of his spot. Combination of power and length is just a nightmare to deal with.
He did, though, revealed the strangest part of this week: Watching film on his former team.
“Yeah, it’s definitely weird being on the other side,” Buckner said. “Obviously, they got a bunch of new faces since I’ve been gone. But a lot of similar faces on that side of the ball…a lot of guys I call brothers and friends. It’s weird, definitely. I know it’s going to feel weird once I get into that stadium and get into the opponent’s locker room. It’s definitely going to be weird, but I’m excited.”
More from Buckner’s presser with the Bay Area media can be heard below.
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Ex-49er DeForest Buckner Has Candid Thought on Return to San Francisco