The Colts on Monday signed defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to a contract extension, keeping a pillar of the team on and off the field in Indianapolis for the long term.
Buckner is entering his fifth season with the Colts after being acquired from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a first-round draft pick in 2020. Since joining the Colts, Buckner has had at least seven sacks, 10 tackles for a loss and 18 quarterback hits every year; he was named a first-team AP All-Pro in 2020 and earned spots in the 2022 and 2024 Pro Bowl.
Defensive tackle DeForest Bucker signed an extension with the Colts. View behind-the-scenes photos from his arrival and contract signing.
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"DeForest has been the epitome of what it means to be a Colt the last four years," general manager Chris Ballard said. "As one of the premier defensive tackles in the league, he is a destructive force on our defensive line. DeForest is one of the pillars of our locker room. His hard work, consistency and approach to the game are vital to the success of our team. We are fortunate to have DeForest and the caliber of man he is representing our organization. I'm excited for him and his family on this much deserved contract extension."
In 2023, Buckner appeared in all 17 games – his third consecutive year in which he didn't miss a game – and totaled eight sacks with a career-high 81 tackles. He also recorded 11 tackles for a loss, 18 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and seven pass break-ups, and scoop-and-scored a Zaire Franklin forced fumble for his second career touchdown in the Colts' season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Buckner's 32 1/2 sacks since joining the Colts in 2020 rank third among defensive tackles, behind only the Kansas City Chiefs' Chris Jones (42 1/2) and the Los Angeles Rams' Aaron Donald (39). Since 2020, Buckner ranks sixth among defensive tackles in Pro Football Focus overall defense grade (89.7), sixth in PFF pass rush grade (90.4), third in total pressures (210), eighth in pass rush win rate (14 percent) and ninth in tackles for a loss/no gain (35).
Buckner has been voted a team captain in each of the last three seasons, and also earned captaincies in 2018 and 2019 with the 49ers.
The 30-year-old Buckner originally was selected with the seventh overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft by the 49ers, where he totaled 28 1/2 sacks – including a career-high 12 1/2 sacks in 2018 – over four seasons. In his career, Buckner has 55 sacks, making him one of 26 defensive tackles since 1970 to hit that mark.
