Colts HC Shane Steichen announced they are placing DT DeForest Buckner on injured reserve after aggravating a neck injury, per Mike Chappell.
Steichen added that Buckner will subsequently undergo surgery.
It’s a rough break for Buckner, who was activated from injured reserve just four days ago ahead of Week 16’s Monday Night loss to the 49ers. He returned to the lineup after being out since the beginning of November.
Buckner, 31, is a former first-round pick of the 49ers back in 2016 out of Oregon. He was in the final year of his four-year, $18.19 million contract when the 49ers picked up his fifth-year option.
San Francisco traded Buckner to the Colts for a first-round pick in 2020. Indianapolis promptly signed Buckner to a four-year, $84 million extension.
He was due $20.25 million in the final year of the deal and later signed a two-year, $46 million extension with the Colts.
In 2025, Buckner appeared in 10 games for the Colts and recorded 47 tackles, four sacks, and nine tackles for loss.
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