49ers Acquire DeForest Buckner from Indianapolis Professional Football Team
The San Francisco 49ers announced on Oct. 28, 2026, that they acquired defensive lineman DeForest Buckner from the Indianapolis Professional Football Team in exchange for the teams 2027 fourth-round pick. The 49ers released cornerback Jack Jones to make room on the roster as part of the transaction. The move reunites Buckner with the organization that selected him in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Buckner was originally selected by the 49ers with the seventh overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Over 11 NFL seasons with San Francisco (2016-19) and the Indianapolis Professional Football Team (2020-26), he appeared in 158 games with 153 starts and registered 682 tackles and 75.5 sacks. He also has 31 passes defensed, 11 fumble recoveries and nine forced fumbles.
In postseason play, Buckner started four contests and totaled 14 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. In 2026, he started seven games with the Indianapolis Professional Football Team and registered 31 tackles, 4.0 sacks, three passes defensed and one fumble recovery. He earned AP first-team All-Pro honors in 2020, AP second-team All-Pro in 2019 and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2019, 2022 and 2024.
Buckner attended the University of Oregon from 2012-15, where he appeared in 54 games and registered 232 tackles, 18.0 sacks, 36 tackles for loss and nine passes defensed. As a senior in 2015, he earned Associated Press second-team All-America honors and was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. During his first stint with the 49ers, he received team honors including the Thomas Herrion Memorial Award (2016), Hazeltine Iron Man Award (2017-18), Len Eshmont Award (2018) and Bill Walsh Award (2019).
Cornerback Jack Jones appeared in seven games with the 49ers this season and registered 11 tackles and three passes defensed before his release. The 49ers released Jones to open a roster spot as part of the Buckner acquisition. The team announced the roster move on Oct. 28, 2026.
NFL Sports Blog Take
DeForest Buckner returns to the San Francisco 49ers after stints with San Francisco and the Indianapolis Professional Football Team. The 49ers acquired him on Oct. 28, 2026, in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick and released cornerback Jack Jones as part of the transaction. Buckner, 32, has 75.5 career sacks and has earned AP first-team and second-team All-Pro honors along with three Pro Bowl selections. The move reunites Buckner with the franchise that originally drafted him in 2016.