DeForest Buckner becomes yet another Colt shipped out of town

The 49ers expect to get Nick Bosa back in the near future from his calf injury, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. When he returns, he’ll reunite with Buckner. 

Buckner will finish the 2026 season on the 49ers’ books, with San Francisco covering the remaining $7.944 million on his contract. The veteran defensive lineman is expected to become a free agent in March.

He has delivered 4.0 sacks, four tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits this season, adding three passes defensed and a fumble recovery to his stat line.

Frustrations with the Indianapolis Colts

Buckner has aired out his frustrations with the Colts following losses in recent weeks to the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings. 

“I’m p-ssed off, too,” Buckner said, via The Athletic, echoing coach Shane Steichen after the Colts’ loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans in Week 6. “I’m sick and tired of the same song and dance every year.”

"I don't know. How about you guess. Yeah, I'm frustrated. Same thing, we lost," the veteran defensive tackle said when asked about his level of frustration following the loss to the Vikings, via James Boyd of The Athletic.

Buckner's departure comes the same day the Colts traded six-time All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. 

Buckner is in the final year of a two-year, $46 million contract extension he signed in April 2024.

Championship window

Grant Cohn, publisher of 49ers on SI, gave his instant reaction to the Buckner trade on X, saying, "You knew the 49ers had to do something after their main rival, the Seahawks, traded for Nelson; it almost seemed like the Seahawks were bracing for the Niners to trade for DeForest Buckner... Now the Niners have a leader on their defensive line, a closer on their defensive line. This is a huge move, and I'd like to think the 9ers aren't done; this is a great start." 

San Francisco's 6-1 start has put the team in position to make a serious playoff push, and adding Buckner would fortify its defense for the stretch run. The move also carries a divisional edge, giving the 49ers a potential counterpunch after Seattle landed Colts guard Nelson in a blockbuster deal.