Six and a half years after the San Francisco 49ers sent DeForest Buckner to Indianapolis for the 13th overall pick, the franchise has corrected the move its fan base never fully accepted.

San Francisco reacquired the veteran defensive tackle from the Colts on Tuesday for a 2027 fourth-round pick, putting the 2016 first-rounder back in red and gold for another run at a Lombardi Trophy.

The deal moved quickly once Indianapolis decided to sell. Earlier the same day, the Colts sent Quenton Nelson to Seattle, and reports soon followed that Buckner was being actively shopped.

With the Colts at 2-5 after three straight losses and Buckner headed for free agency in the spring, Indianapolis had little reason to hold firm on price. John Lynch moved before Chicago or another contender could step in.

The price is what makes this deal look so lopsided in San Francisco’s favor. A Day 3 pick in next year’s draft brings back a two-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler who is still playing at a high level at 32.

Through seven games, Buckner has 31 tackles, four sacks, a fumble recovery, and three passes defensed. Sports Info Solutions ranks him as the third-most valuable defensive lineman in football by points saved.

The financial cost is just as manageable. Indianapolis already paid his $10 million roster bonus in March, so the 49ers are taking on a little under $8 million for the rest of the season.

San Francisco is 6-1 even after Sunday’s loss in Atlanta, but injuries have thinned the interior of its defensive front. Buckner fills that need about as well as anyone available.

Pairing his interior push with Nick Bosa on the edge gives the 49ers an inside-out pressure combination that should make the second half of the season miserable for opposing quarterbacks.

Since he already knows the organization and has plenty of familiar faces in the building, his transition should be measured in days rather than weeks.

The reunion also closes a chapter that never sat right with anyone involved. The 2020 trade was driven by salary-cap pressure, not doubt about Buckner’s ability.

San Francisco kept Arik Armstead, used the Colts’ pick on Javon Kinlaw, and spent years trying to replace what it gave away.

Buckner, meanwhile, became a cornerstone in Indianapolis but watched the playoffs from home far more often than he wanted, and he made that frustration public this month when he said he was “sick and tired of the same song and dance every year.”

He returns to a contender with a real chance at the NFC’s top seed, and the 49ers hold the inside track on an offseason extension if the reunion goes as expected.

With Seattle loading up after the Nelson trade, the NFC West has become an arms race.

The 49ers answered with the most fitting move on the board, bringing one of their own back home at a price that barely registers.