Buckner, Nelson trades signal Colts' rebuild underway

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  Stephen HolderOct 27, 2026, 07:30 PM ET

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  Stephen joined ESPN in 2022, covering the Indianapolis Colts and NFL at large. Stephen finished first place in column writing in the 2015 Indiana Associated Press Media Editors competition, and he is a previous top-10 winner in explanatory journalism in the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest. He has chronicled the NFL since 2005, covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005-2013 and the Colts since 2013. He has previously worked for the Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and The Athletic.

INDIANAPOLIS -- DeForest Buckner had seen enough.

As the curtains closed Sunday on the Indianapolis Colts' third straight loss, punctuating a season that began with high hopes and devolved into a road to nowhere, the veteran defensive tackle finally let his emotions show.

Asked by a reporter how he felt after losing to the Minnesota Vikings to fall to 2-5, the three-time Pro Bowl selection was blunt.

"I don't know, how 'bout you guess," he said. "I'm frustrated. Same thing. We lost."

The losing wore on Buckner. But he and fellow Colts standout Quenton Nelson, an All-Pro guard, will no longer have to endure the frustration. Both were traded on Tuesday during one of the most consequential days for the franchise since the stunning 2019 retirement of former quarterback Andrew Luck.

But this development was much easier to predict than Luck's departure as it follows the firing of general manager Chris Ballard last week.

Assistant general manager Ed Dodds engineered Tuesday's deals, presumably at the direction of owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon. Buckner is heading back to the San Francisco 49ers, the team that drafted him and traded him to Indianapolis in 2020. Nelson is headed to the Seattle Seahawks, the Niners' NFC West rival. Both players were in the final year of their contracts and their futures in Indianapolis were uncertain, at best.

Moves such as these felt likely following Ballard's dismissal in his 10th season on the job. Ballard and the Colts had tried tweaking their roster to varying degrees in recent years. And they have tried every iteration of quarterback acquisition in their efforts to replace Luck.

In the end, it all amounted to nothing.

The Colts have not won the AFC South since 2014. They last made the playoffs in 2020. Their last postseason victory came in 2018. They've averaged 7.6 wins during the past five seasons. Even with great players like Buckner and Nelson, it wasn't enough to overcome the club's other shortcomings.

Tuesday's difficult decisions made it official: The Colts are done with that chapter.

The next phase of franchise history will be a full-on rebuild. The Colts must embark on that rebuild without a first-round pick in 2027 as that selection is heading to the New York Jets to complete last year's Sauce Gardner trade. So, Tuesday's moves were a step toward rebuilding the draft capital that the team's next top executive will need to begin what will be a difficult job.

The Colts are expected to entertain additional deals, with players such as running back Jonathan Taylor, nose tackle Grover Stewart and receiver Josh Downs attracting interest from other clubs.

But, for now, Indianapolis has a single second-round pick in 2027, two third-round choices and two fourth-round selections among its selections. The Nelson deal garnered a 2027 third-round choice (along with a 2028 fifth-rounder) from Seattle, and Buckner netted a 2027 fourth-round choice from San Francisco.

In terms of free agency, the Colts are projected to have well north of $60 million in salary-cap space next spring. They could create significantly more if they trade Taylor or move on from struggling quarterback Daniel Jones.

Roster flexibility isn't likely to be an issue for the next regime in Indianapolis. But getting to that point is sure to be painful.