Colts Trade Buckner and Nelson, Marking Start of Full Rebuild

The Indianapolis Colts have begun tearing down their roster. On Tuesday, the team traded defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers and All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks, in what may be the most significant day for the franchise since quarterback Andrew Luck's surprise retirement in 2019.

Unlike that retirement, this shake-up was easy to see coming. It followed last week's firing of general manager Chris Ballard, who was in his 10th season in the job. Assistant general manager Ed Dodds put the deals together, presumably at the direction of owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon.

Buckner returns to the team that drafted him and sent him to Indianapolis in 2020. Nelson lands with the Seahawks, a division rival of the 49ers in the NFC West. Both players were in the final year of their contracts, and their futures with the Colts were uncertain at best.

Buckner had shown the strain of the losing on Sunday, after Indianapolis fell to the Minnesota Vikings for its third straight defeat and dropped to 2-5. Asked how he felt, the three-time Pro Bowl selection told a reporter to take a guess. "I'm frustrated," he said. "Same thing. We lost."

The results over the longer term explain why the franchise is changing course. The Colts have not won the AFC South since 2014 and last reached the playoffs in 2020. Their most recent postseason win came in 2018, and they have averaged 7.6 victories over the past five seasons. Ballard tried adjusting the roster in various ways and used several approaches to find a successor to Luck at quarterback, but none produced lasting success. Even with stars such as Buckner and Nelson, the team could not overcome its other weaknesses.

The rebuild will begin without a first-round pick in 2027, because that selection is going to the New York Jets to complete last year's Sauce Gardner trade. The Tuesday deals help restore some of the draft capital the next top executive will need. Seattle gave up a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder for Nelson, while San Francisco sent a 2027 fourth-round choice for Buckner. Indianapolis now holds one second-round pick, two third-rounders and two fourth-rounders in 2027.

More moves could follow. The Colts are expected to listen to offers, and other clubs have shown interest in running back Jonathan Taylor, nose tackle Grover Stewart and receiver Josh Downs.

The financial picture is flexible. Indianapolis is projected to have well over $60 million in salary-cap space in free agency next spring, and could create significantly more by trading Taylor or moving on from struggling quarterback Daniel Jones. The next regime should have few roster constraints, but reaching that point is likely to be painful.