Colts star wide receiver Josh Downs requests trade following sweeping changes: report
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs has requested a trade, according to ESPN. The 25-year-old did not deny the report when speaking to reporters.
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"I’m open to whatever. Whatever comes my way, comes my way and we go from there," Downs said, according to ESPN.
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Josh Downs of the Indianapolis Colts warms up before an NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Dec. 22, 2025. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Downs’ trade request comes amid the Colts' roster overhaul, which included trading two of their franchise cornerstones, Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner, in separate deals Tuesday. The Colts fired general manager Chris Ballard last week, and after Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the team appears to be entering a rebuilding phase.
The Colts traded Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks for third- and fifth-round draft picks and sent Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers for a fourth-round pick. The picks are particularly valuable to Indianapolis because the team does not own its first-round selection in next year's draft after trading it to the New York Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner last year.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs runs with the ball during NFL game action against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., on Oct. 18, 2026. (John Mersits/Cal Sport Media/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect)
Downs has spent his entire four-year NFL career with the Colts after Indianapolis selected him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of North Carolina.
In seven games this season, Downs has caught 26 passes for 307 yards. In 54 career games with the Colts, he has recorded 224 receptions for 2,447 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has also returned punts, averaging 9.4 yards per return during his career.
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Josh Downs, No. 2, during the Steelers vs. Colts game on Oct. 11, 2026, at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa. (Jason Pohuski/Cal Sport Media/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect)
The trade deadline is Nov. 10, and Downs could be playing elsewhere by then if the Colts grant his reported request. If he remains with Indianapolis through Sunday, the Colts will face the Jacksonville Jaguars at 1 p.m. ET in what could be his final game with the team.
Ryan Canfield is a digital production assistant for Fox News Digital.
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