Colts DT DeForest Buckner agrees to two-year, $46 million extension

The Indianapolis Colts and DeForest Buckner have agreed to a two-year, $46 million extension that will keep him under contract through the 2026 season, according to multiple reports.

With the extension, Buckner will remain one of the game’s highest-paid defensive tackles on an annual basis. His $23 million salary is the fifth-highest among defensive tackles, with Chris Jones ($31.75 million), Christian Wilkins ($27.5 million), Justin Madubuike ($24.5 million) and Derrick Brown ($24 million) all signing richer contracts this offseason.

The extension is also a slight bump in pay for the 30-year-old Buckner, who was beginning the final year of a four-year, $84 million deal he signed with the Colts in 2020 after being acquired from the San Francisco 49ers.

After emerging as one of the game’s best defensive tackles in his final seasons in the Bay Area, Buckner has remained one of the top players at his position during his tenure in Indianapolis. He has recorded a combined 32.5 sacks over his four seasons with the team, including eight last season. He also had a career-high 81 combined total tackles last year, helping him earn a Pro Bowl nod for the third time in his career.

The Colts’ decision to extend Buckner shows a continued investment in their key players as they hope to win the AFC South in 2024 after falling just short in 2023. They’ve re-signed wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (three years, $70 million), defensive tackle Grover Stewart (three years, $39 million), linebacker Zaire Franklin (three years, $31.26 million) and cornerback Kenny Moore II (three years, $30 million) to multi-year deals this offseason. They also added defensive tackle Raekwon Davis (two years, $14 million) and quarterback Joe Flacco (one year, $8.7 million) in free agency.

[READ MORE: Does Colts’ investment in their own free agents show team is ready to break out?]

The Colts went 9-8 last season under first-year coach Shane Steichen, losing a de facto play-in game to the Houston Texans in the final week of the regular season. Gardner Minshew quarterbacked the team for much of the season after Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, suffered a season-ending shoulder injury early in the year.

Richardson is expected to be ready to go well before the start of the 2024 season. Minshew signed a free-agent deal with the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason and will be replaced by Flacco as Richardson’s backup.