An Elite NFL DT Has Gone Public with Frustration as Trade Rumors Swirl

DeForest Buckner has been an elite NFL DT for a long time. He proved his mettle as a 49er before demanding a 1st to become a Colt back in March of 2020.

It’s possible that he’ll be looking for his career’s third chapter before too long.

The well-respected veteran has voiced his discontent publicly over these past two weeks. Losing to the Vikings on Sunday did little to lessen his concern, as Pro Football Talk clarifies. Mike Florio sends along the update about Buckner’s “frustrated” comment while pointing to the veteran’s comments a week ago about being “sick and tired of the same song and dance every year.”

Sure sounds like a player who is looking to get a one-way ticket out of the state of Indiana. Nolan Teasley should therefore be like a vulture circling overhead of a dying Colts team that boasts some formidable talent.

Oh, and another thing: Quenton Nelson has been traded, according to Tom Pelissero. Selling the historically-great left guard means that the Colts are officially in seller’s mode. Plus, Jordan Schultz clarifies that Indianapolis is “actively shopping” Mr. Buckner. The time is now if the Vikings want in.

NFL DT DeForest Buckner Unhappy as a Colt

Coming into the 2026 season, the Vikings opted to go young at defensive line. Doing so meant firing Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave while then leaning into the in-house youth alongside those who got drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft.

So far, Jalen Redmond and Levi Drake Rodriguez have been holding up their end of the bargain. There’s then a collection of talent consisting of Ty Ingram-Dawkins, Caleb Banks, Domonique Orange, and Elijah Williams. None of these players have yet to make it through their second seasons in the NFL, so youth reigns along Minnesota’s defensive line.

Might Mr. Buckner be a nice addition?

At 32, Buckner is getting close to the end of his career. After all, we’re talking about the No. 7 selection in the 2016 NFL Draft. Crucially, he’s still playing some strong football.

Inserting Buckner into that Vikings defense would be borderline unfair. Part of the rationale with sending so many blitzers so commonly is that individual players are often found in single-block situations (or even allowed to run free due to confusing the blocking assignment). A player of Buckner’s abilities would shine in a defense where he’s not being double-teamed consistently.

Per PFF, DeForest Buckner has spent most of his NFL career as a 3T or as a 5T. Roughly, think the way that Aaron Donald gets used with the Rams. Or, perhaps, closer to how Kevin Williams played than how Pat Williams played. The Colts DT has north of 5,000 snaps across from the guard and close to 2,400 snaps across from the tackle.

With the Vikings, Buckner would takeover for Ingram-Dawkins as the other starting d-lineman beside Redmond and Rodriguez. He’d be that mismatch as a 5T that Minnesota was so excited for when drafting Banks (but have yet to see materialize due to the rookie struggling in his NFL adjustment).

As for compensation, the expectation would be that he demands a decent amount less than when Indianapolis first snagged him. Ed Dodds can try for a 1st but that appears very, very unlikely short of some sort of wild bidding war.

Much more likely is something on Day 2. The Vikings would likely feel pretty good about sending over a 3rd, especially since seeing Buckner walk after the season would almost certainly mean seeing a comp pick get put on the board.

Does either Philadelphia’s or Minnesota’s 3rd get the job done for one of the NFL’s elite DT talents? If not, then Minnesota would likely be happier attaching a Day 3 pick — something from the 4th down to the 7th — rather than climb into the 2nd.

DeForest Buckner stands at 6’7″ and is listed as being 295 pounds. His 2026 has involved 31 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 8 quarterback hits, and 3 passes defended. I’m not among those who think that the Vikings have major need at defensive tackle, but an NFL DT like Buckner is worth pursuing no matter the situation.

Next up for the 6-0 Vikings is an NFC North game versus the potent Lions.

---

---

Discover more from Vikings Territory

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.