Colts: DeForest Buckner’s comments on 49ers bring much-needed motivation to SNF
Coming off their biggest win of the season, the task won’t get any easier for the Indianapolis Colts, who will head to San Francisco on Sunday night to face the 49ers.
After the Titans’ unexpected triumph over the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, the 2-4 Colts really need a win … but so do the reeling Niners. Kyle Shanahan’s side has lost three straight before their bye in Week 6 and desperately needed to realign.
The week off came at the perfect time for San Fran because quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was able to nurse his calf injury in hopes of suiting up and helping his team avoid a 2-4 start.
While the physical advantage could be trending in the 49ers’ direction given the Colts’ banged up offensive line and wide receiving corps … Indy may have the mental edge because star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner will be facing his former team for the first time since that 2020 trade that sent him to the Colts.
Buckner thinks it’ll be a “little personal” and we’ve since learned more details about his exit.
DeForest Buckner on facing the 49ers, his old team: "It's a little personal.... It's life coming full circle. Will probably have mixed emotions."
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) October 20, 2021
Colts DT DeForest Buckner has unfinished business to handle against the 49ers.
Before the 2020 draft, the 49ers traded Buckner to the Colts for the No. 13 overall pick, which they used on South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, who has just 41 tackles and 1.5 sacks in his first 18 career games. Buckner’s worst season with the Niners featured 61 tackles and three sacks in 16 games. You’d take this a bit personal, too, wouldn’t you?
Immediately after joining the Colts, Buckner signed a four-year, $84 million extension and became an All-Pro in 2020. On top of his 86 tackles and 11.5 sacks in 21 games with Indy, Buckner’s been one of the best disruptors along the defensive line in the league.
The worst part for the Niners? He was ready to take a bit of a hometown discount but general manager John Lynch opted to go ahead with the deal and replace an experienced, productive interior D-lineman who had 28.5 sacks in four seasons with a rookie.
DeForest Buckner says that, pre-trade, he met with John Lynch and said he’d be willing to take less $$ than what his agent wanted for him.
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) October 20, 2021
“I'm willing to meet in the middle but I didnt want to take too big of a paycut. I had a baby on the way. I had to take care of my family."
The 49ers defense still has been one of the best in the league over the last couple years … but imagine if they kept Buckner on board instead of fretting about the salary cap? Paying Garoppolo all that money really set them back and ultimately forced them to get rid of one of the best defensive players in the league.
Though Buckner is right at home with the Colts and ready to lead a turnaround this year after the team made the playoffs in 2020, he’s right to feel disrespected in some sort of fashion after all he contributed to the franchise that drafted him. He held up his end of the bargain and was even willing to negotiate when the time came.
We just feel bad for the 49ers’ offensive linemen who had nothing to do with this, really.
