Colts Blow It Up: Josh Downs Requests Trade Days After Nelson and Buckner Deals Gut Indy's Roster
Indianapolis has already shipped out two franchise cornerstones this week, and now its leading receiver wants out too — with the Chiefs, Steelers and Patriots reportedly circling ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline.
The Indianapolis Colts' roster teardown picked up another name this week: wide receiver Josh Downs, who has asked the team to trade him just days after the front office shipped out two of its most established veterans.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler first reported the request, noting Downs was non-committal when asked directly whether he'd gone to the front office — saying only that he's "open to whatever" comes next. The timing wasn't subtle: the request landed right after Indianapolis traded guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers in separate deals, unwinding two of the pillars the front office had built the roster around for most of the last decade.
A Fire Sale in Progress
Downs is in the final season of his rookie contract and has emerged as Indianapolis' most productive receiving target, which is exactly why rival teams have moved fast. According to NFL.com's trade deadline tracker, the Colts have already fielded offers from several teams, with the Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots named as possible suitors — the Patriots connection fueled partly by Downs' college ties to quarterback Drake Maye at North Carolina.
The Colts aren't alone in cashing in before next Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline. Across the league, ESPN counts seven trades already completed this cycle, including Chicago's blockbuster move for Tennessee defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, a deal that cost the Bears two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder.
"WHATEVER COMES MY WAY COMES MY WAY."
That's how Downs himself described his outlook this week, a notably calm response to a situation that has Colts fans bracing for a full-scale rebuild. Indianapolis entered the season with modest expectations, and the sudden exodus of Nelson, Buckner and potentially Downs signals a front office choosing future draft capital over hanging onto a roster it no longer views as a contender.
What's next: the Colts have until 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 10 to finalize a deal for Downs, and league sources say talks could move quickly given the number of teams already involved. Whether Indianapolis extracts a similar draft-pick haul to what it got for Nelson and Buckner will go a long way toward defining how this season's fire sale is remembered.