Report: 49ers Trade DeForest Buckner to Colts for First-Round Pick

As part of the trade, Indianapolis made Buckner one of the highest-paid defensive linemen in the league.

The Colts traded the No. 13 pick in the 2020 NFL draft to the 49ers for second-team All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

As a part of the deal, Buckner agreed to a massive, $21 million per year extension, the second-highest contract for a defensive tackle in NFL history behind Aaron Donald's six-year, $135 million deal. 

Buckner, 25, was due to play 2020 on a one-year, $12.4 million deal after the Niners exercised his fifth-year option in 2019. 

On Monday, though, the 49ers agreed to a sizable five-year, $85 million deal ($17 million per year) with Arik Armstead, the team's leading pass rusher. With limited cap space and Buckner keen on a lengthy and substantial extension, Armstead's deal made Buckner expendable in the eyes of San Francisco's brass. The Super Bowl runner-ups and Buckner had engaged on a potential extension in the past, with Buckner reportedly rebuffing an offer last offseason. 

The Niners are also in the market for a wide receiver after Emmanuel Sanders became a free agent, though the team could address that void in the draft, when Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb, Alabama's Jerry Jeudy, Alabama's Henry Ruggs III, LSU's Justin Jefferson and several other highly-touted receivers will officially enter the NFL. 

Last year, after Andrew Luck retired suddenly during the preseason, the Colts bounced back with a strong start but sputtered down the stretch, finishing 7-9 with Jacoby Brissett under center. The Colts could reportedly pursue former Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers in free agency.