The 49ers trade a fourth-round pick to the Colts for Buckner, finally bringing the All-Pro defensive lineman they dealt to Indianapolis back home.
The San Francisco 49ers traded for All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner yesterday, sending a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the defensive centerpiece they previously traded away. After an expensive six years spent trying to replace Buckner, the 49ers chose an easier and cheaper route: they simply brought him back home where he belonged.
49ers General Manager John Lynch has referred to trading Buckner to the Colts as the hardest decision of his tenure. Many fans call it his worst. But the decision to bring the former first-round draft pick back to San Francisco was an easy one. A Day 3 draft pick and the remaining $7.9 million of Buckner's salary are all it took to end the organization's lengthy quest to find his replacement.
Leading the NFC West with a record of 6-1, San Francisco addressed one of the team's pressing needs without surrendering a premium draft pick. "If we can help this team ... then absolutely, we won't hesitate," Lynch said Tuesday morning on KNBR, hours before the deal.
Buckner gives the 49ers' pass rush an immediate upgrade
Sunday's 29-20 loss to the Atlanta Falcons exposed a glaring need 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris has worked hard to hide. San Francisco managed to pressure Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. on just three of his 34 dropbacks. So far this season, the 49ers' pressure rate with four or fewer rushers is just 23 percent, the second-worst number in the league.
Buckner arrives with eight quarterback hits and four sacks so far this year—more than any player on the 49ers' roster—and his three batted passes top San Francisco's entire defensive unit. He has also started all seven games and played 82 percent of the Colts' defensive snaps, his highest snap percentage since his 2016 rookie campaign with the Niners.
Expect Buckner's workload to decrease with members of the 49ers' decimated defensive line returning to action. By Week 3, six of the nine linemen on the initial 53-man roster had sustained injuries, but a number of players have either recently returned or are expected to in the coming weeks, including Buckner's 2019 teammate Nick Bosa.
Buckner gives his old squad's battered front an established starter who can handle extensive playing time and disrupt quarterbacks at a time when San Francisco desperately needs both.
The 49ers never replaced DeForest Buckner
The original trade coincided with San Francisco's decision to instead re-sign defensive lineman Arik Armstead in March 2020. Indianapolis sent the No. 13 overall draft pick for Buckner; the 49ers subsequently traded down one spot and drafted defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw, who was never able to fill the hole that Buckner left.
Lynch later admitted trading Buckner was, "Probably the toughest thing I've done since I've been a general manager here."
Replacing him proved difficult, too. Kinlaw never established himself as the answer. The 49ers then signed Javon Hargrave to a four-year, $84 million contract. Hargrave made the Pro Bowl in his first season with the team, but San Francisco released him after the following year.
Buckner kept delivering, earning All-Pro honors in his first year with the Colts, in addition to a pair of Pro Bowl selections. He leaves Indianapolis with 47 sacks, the most by a defensive tackle in Colts history.
San Francisco tried a first-round pick and an expensive free agent. But neither supplied the lasting answer the 49ers traded away.
Buckner leaves the Colts' losing cycle
Indianapolis reached the playoffs just once during Buckner's seven seasons and lost in the opening round. After falling to a previously winless Tennessee Titans squad this month, the Colts dropped to a record of 2-4. Buckner—still fresh from his recovery from offseason surgery—stated he was, "Sick and tired of the same song and dance every year." He wasn't alone, as Indianapolis fired general manager Chris Ballard the next day.
A 16-10 loss at Minnesota followed on Sunday. Asked about the team's struggles, Buckner's reply was similar, and it was clear the veteran was on his way out. The Colts traded guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks yesterday, and Buckner, whose desire to return to the Bay was widely rumored, got his wish hours later.
He leaves a 2-win team for a division leader that needs exactly what the 32-year-old veteran has continued to provide in 2026.
Nick Bosa's return could reunite the 49ers' pass-rush stars
Buckner and Bosa played just one season together: Bosa's rookie year in 2019. That Niners defense ranked fifth in the NFL with 48 sacks and led the league with 21 forced fumbles. Last year, San Francisco finished the season with an NFL-low 20 sacks.
Bosa has played only two games this season due to a calf injury but is expected to return to the field after the team's current Week 8 bye week, provided he gets through a full week of practice. The 49ers host the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 8, which is also Buckner's first opportunity to play for San Francisco for the second time in his career.
Fellow teammates George Kittle, Kyle Juszczyk, Deebo Samuel, Fred Warner, and Dre Greenlaw were also part of the 2019 49ers' team that barely fell short of a Super Bowl victory and have been vocal in their desire for Buckner to return to the Bay. After the trade was announced, Bucker received a warm welcome across social media, including Kittle's message: "DEFOOOOO THE BOYS ARE BACK."
What the Buckner trade costs the 49ers
As part of the trade for the defensive lineman, San Francisco takes on the remaining $7.9 million of Buckner's salary. His contract expires after this season, placing him on track for free agency in March.
Buckner has missed 12 games over the previous two seasons, and a herniated disc in his neck required surgery at the end of last year. But his immediate return to a heavy workload is encouraging, and the 49ers have no contract commitments beyond the 2026 season.
For Lynch, deciding Buckner's future may have been difficult once. But this time, and at a price this sweet, it wasn't a mistake he was going to make twice.
More info on: Nick Bosa, Dre Greenlaw, Kyle Juszczyk, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Fred Warner
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