More than 6 1/2 years ago, the 49ers made a seminal choice on their defensive line. Extension talks with DeForest Buckner had begun, but the team instead traded the All-Pro defensive tackle to the Colts for a first-round pick. Indianapolis ended up winning that trade.
The 49ers chose the path that would allow them to pay Arik Armstead and Jimmie Ward, as Buckner’s second contract promised to be more expense. It was, but the Colts ended up paying it (four years, $84MM) and seeing the Oregon product anchor their defensive line. But Indianapolis, as repeated quarterback trouble emerged, did not win a playoff game with Buckner. The 11th-year veteran grew frustrated, and he expressed a desire to be dealt to Colts management.
Buckner told Carlie Irsay-Gordon and interim GM Ed Dodds he wanted to be traded back to the 49ers. The Colts “wanted to make sure that I went to a place where I wanted to be,” the 33-year-old D-lineman said, via the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch. “*… They held their end of the bargain. At the end of the day, I wanted to be here. And they made it happen.*”
When traded from San Francisco to Indianapolis in 2020, Buckner expressed disappointment. He did not expect to be dealt, per Branch, though the 49ers — as Buckner’s asking price hit $20MM per year at the time — gave the former first-round pick permission to shop around at the 2020 Combine. San Francisco later considered a trade to reacquire Buckner in 2024.
Buckner-49ers connections emerged days before last month’s trade, and they intensified the day of the deal. The Colts had traded Quenton Nelson earlier in the day, and a report surfaced they were aggressively shopping Buckner. Indy unloaded Buckner to his preferred destination for a fourth-round pick. Had Buckner merely left in free agency, the best the Colts could have done — due to his service time — was a 2028 fifth-round compensatory pick. Indy struck early and did right by their D-line cornerstone.
Breaking through with a 12-sack 2018 season, Buckner teamed with No. 2 overall pick Nick Bosa — on a D-line that also housed Armstead and trade import Dee Ford — to power the 49ers to Super Bowl LIV. Although San Francisco lost to Kansas City in that game, Buckner earned second-team All-Pro acclaim that season — after he had received his first Pro Bowl invite the year prior. A December 2018 report indicated the parties would discuss an extension, but nothing came to pass in 2019. The sides were far apart on terms. While the 2020 offseason produced a report the 49ers were pushing for a deal, they ended up cashing out on the young asset and regretting it.
The 49ers drafted Javon Kinlaw to replace Buckner but saw him run into regular injury trouble. San Francisco declined Kinlaw’s fifth-year option, and he has played for two teams since his tenure ended after the 2023 season. The 49ers’ big-ticket Javon Hargrave free agency deal in 2023 did not pan out, and the team released him in 2025. Buckner racked up 47 sacks with the Colts (four in 2026), earned two more Pro Bowl nods and notched a first-team All-Pro appearance in his 2020 Indianapolis debut.
Armstead had re-signed on a five-year, $85MM pact but battled injuries — while delivering quality play when available — on that deal. The 49ers designated Armstead a post-June 1 cut in 2024, and he rejoined Trent Baalke in Jacksonville. Buckner signed a two-year, $46MM Colts extension weeks later. Injuries intervened during the 2024 and ’25 seasons, and Buckner considered retirement. While his addition places another 30-something with recent injury issues on his resume (12 missed games from 2024-25) to an injury-plagued roster with a number of aging talents, no missed time has occurred this season.
The 49ers are paying the remaining $7.94MM, according to The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero. The Colts are taking on the bulk of Buckner’s dead money this year, with OverTheCap indicating the AFC South club is on the hook for $18.66MM in dead cap this year and $7.2MM in 2027.
In rejoining Bosa on San Francisco’s front, Buckner will team with fellow 2026 trade pickup Osa Odighizuwa. Rookie Gracen Halton will slide into rotational backup work, as the Chronicle’s Harrison Rich notes. A fourth-round pick, Halton has two sacks, five tackles for loss and a defensive score on a fumble recovery.
The 49ers are believed to be interested in another D-line addition following the Buckner reunion. The team has been a steady buyer on the D-line during John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan’s tenure, with the Buckner and Odighizuwa following trades for Charles Omenihu and Chase Young earlier this decade.
As for the Colts, more trades are on the radar. Jonathan Taylor and Josh Downs look likely to move, and longtime Buckner DT mate Grover Stewart has come up as well. So has Daniel Jones — in what would probably be a rental deal — and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds tight end Mo Alie-Cox has drawn some interest. Alie-Cox, 33, joins Stewart as a 10-year Colt. He is on a $2.5MM base salary this year.