Former Oregon Star Deforest Buckner Gets Traded by Colts to NFL Contender

Former Oregon star Deforest Buckner got traded by the Indianapolis Colts to the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday, according to ESPN. 

The 49ers drafted Buckner with the seventh overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Buckner spent four seasons with the 49ers before joining the Colts in 2020.

Buckner has four sacks, 11 solo tackles, four tackles for loss and eight QB hits this season. He's 32 years old. 

A three-time Pro Bowler, Buckner played for Oregon from 2012 to 2015. He won the 2015 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award. 

In 53 games with Oregon, Buckner had 18.0 sacks, 35.5 tackles for loss and 109 solo tackles. He's one of the best defenders in Ducks history. 

Buckner was better suited to play for a contender at this stage of his career. The Colts will miss the playoffs this season, so they were widely expected to trade Buckner before the trade deadline. 

The 2026 NFL trade deadline is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. ET. After this time, teams will no longer be allowed to execute trades until the 2027 league year officially begins in March.

The 49ers traded Buckner to the Colts in March 2020 for the 13th overall pick in that year's draft. Buckner is scheduled to be a free agent in 2027. It made him a prime target at a position several contenders need.

Buckner has already been paid $10 million in roster bonuses and he is due the remainder of his $13 million base salary this year. 

It will be fascinating to see Buckner play for the 49ers again. San Francisco is 6-1. They lead the NFC West. 

The 49ers are giving up 19.9 points per game. That's good for sixth in the NFL. Their defense will become more dangerous by pairing Buckner with Fred Warner and Nick Bosa.

According to ESPN Research, the Niners have a 23% pressure rate with four or fewer pass rushers, the second-worst in the NFL.

Buckner is one of four players with at least 75 sacks and 25 batted passes since he entered the league in 2016, joining T.J. Watt, Cameron Jordan and Chris Jones.  

In other Oregon news, quarterback Dante Moore is not expected to return this season. Moore, who was widely projected to be a top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, chose to return to Oregon for his senior year. He entered the season as a preseason Heisman Trophy contender.

The Ducks were ranked No. 2 in the AP preseason poll and had national championship aspirations. However, Moore suffered a brutal hit on Sept. 26 against USC.

In four games before his injury, Moore had a 69.7% completion rate, 926 passing yards, nine touchdown passes and zero interceptions.