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March 16 (UPI) -- The San Francisco 49ers agreed to trade star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts on Monday. League sources told ESPN and NFL Media that Indianapolis will send a first-round draft choice, the No. 13 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, to the 49ers in exchange for Buckner. The deal can't be processed until the beginning of the new league year Wednesday.
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Once the trade is finalized, the Colts will give Buckner a massive contract extension worth $21 million per season, according to NFL Media. The new deal will make him the second-highest-paid defensive tackle in the league behind only Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald.
Buckner, who turns 26 on Tuesday, has been a stalwart for the 49ers since the franchise selected him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. He has missed only one game in his four seasons with the team, playing the third-most snaps among defensive linemen in the past four years.
In 63 career games with the 49ers, Buckner has recorded 263 total tackles, 28.5 sacks and 11 passes defensed. He tallied 62 combined tackles, 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles last season.
The agreed-upon trade came on the same day the 49ers signed fellow defensive lineman Arik Armstead to a five-year deal worth up to $85 million. Essentially, San Francisco opted to retain Armstead and acquire a first-rounder for Buckner, who was scheduled to become a free agent next off-season.
Armstead, a first-round selection in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Oregon, set new career highs in total tackles (54), sacks (10), forced fumbles (two) and passes defensed (two) last season, his fifth in San Francisco.
