Colts ‘Actively Shopping’ DT DeForest Buckner

It remains to be seen if Jonathan Taylor can be pried from Indianapolis, but the team unloading Nelson — who has gone 8-for-8 in Pro Bowls while landing on six All-Pro teams — points to DeForest Buckner following him out the door before the November 10 deadline. The Colts are indeed “actively shopping” the Pro Bowl defensive tackle, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports.

Like Nelson, Buckner is in a contract year. The veteran interior pass rusher is tied to a two-year, $46MM deal. Since-fired GM Chris Ballard traded for Buckner in 2020 and authorized a big-ticket extension, as the 49ers paid Arik Armstead at a lower rate while breaking off talks with the younger Oregon draftee. The Colts then circled back to Buckner in 2024, handing him his current contract. It looks like the 32-year-old vet will finish that deal out elsewhere.

Buckner is tied to a $13MM base salary. That will affect his trade market, but with a chunk of that already paid out, a deadline deal in this case would make the money more palatable for a suitor to absorb. The Colts could also pay down some of the salary to improve compensation. If Buckner is unloaded on deadline week, an acquiring team would owe him less than $7MM.

While Nelson and the Colts experienced contract issues this summer before not agreeing to terms, Buckner and the team are not known to have negotiated. The 11th-year player saw his 2025 season shortened by injury trouble, and he mulled retirement in the offseason. This year, however, Buckner is healthy and playing well. Buckner has four sacks, eight QB hits and three pass batdowns.

An expectation of Buckner leaving as a 2027 free agent emerged shortly after Ballard’s firing. If the Colts want something better than a 2028 compensatory selection — which is not a lock to come their way, as the free agency scales need to balance out — they will need to move him before next month’s deadline. Buckner will be unlikely to fetch what Nelson just did, but he should net the Colts a decent return.

Two of Buckner’s three Pro Bowl nods have come as a Colt (2021, 2023), while he earned a first-team All-Pro selection in his first Indianapolis season. As the Colts have shuffled through edge rushers over the past several years, Buckner has been the constant for the team’s pass rush. He has 47 sacks as a Colt, getting there despite missing five games in 2024 and seven last season. The missed games will impact Buckner’s trade value, and the Colts may well be eyeing a move in the near future in order to ensure he his healthy.