The San Francisco 49ers got the trade deadline kicked off with the defensive line market, trading for Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
With the trade, the 49ers were reunited with Buckner, 32, whom they traded to Indianapolis back ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft for a first-round pick.
In the final year of a two-year, $46 million extension he signed in 2024, the fit made a ton of sense, given the 49ers’ hope for extra depth and pass-rush help on the defensive
line, as Buckner now joins Osa Odighizuwa as the main pieces on the interior.
Now, the 49ers weren’t the only team reportedly interested in Buckner, as the Chicago Bears were also looking for a defensive tackle. And after the 49ers kicked off the market, the Bears made a major splash on Thursday morning.
According to The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero, the Bears are trading two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick to the Tennessee Titans for star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. It marks the second straight year that an elite defensive tackle on a poor team was flipped for significant draft capital after Quinnen Williams was traded from the New York Jets to the Dallas Cowboys last year.
The official compensation is a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 first-round pick, and a 2027 fourth-round pick for Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round pick.
Moreover, it bolsters one of the top contenders in the NFC. The Bears were seen as the team with the eighth-best Super Bowl odds heading into Thursday, and that is now sure to change following the Simmons trade news.
Simmons, 29, has long been one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL, but there was speculation about whether the Titans would actually move him. So far this year, he has had 24 pressures, 20 tackles, and four sacks, while recording 20 defensive stops, per PFF.
If anything, the move reinforces that this trade deadline could be a wild one with the Super Bowl race feeling quite wide open to a ton of teams this year. After the 49ers trade for Buckner, it doesn’t feel like they’re done yet either, as San Francisco could still use edge rusher help and potentially another wide receiver or cornerback, given their injuries.
We’ve now seen three blockbuster trades this week: Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks, Buckner to the 49ers, and Simmons to the Bears.
