(Indianapolis) — The Indianapolis Colts traded two wide receivers Tuesday as the team continued to unload veteran players ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
Josh Downs was dealt to the Kansas City Chiefs, while Keenan Allen was sent to the San Francisco 49ers. The moves came as the Colts, who are 2-7, continued building their collection of picks for the 2027 NFL Draft.
Indianapolis sent Downs and a 2027 seventh-round pick, originally acquired from Buffalo, to Kansas City for fourth- and fifth-round selections in 2027. Downs, a fourth-year receiver who requested a trade, has 33 catches this season and is in the final year of his contract.
The Colts drafted Downs in the third round in 2023. Both Kansas City and Pittsburgh had expressed interest in acquiring him.
Allen, meanwhile, was traded to San Francisco for a sixth-round pick in 2027. The 34-year-old receiver signed a one-year contract with Indianapolis in August worth up to $8.32 million.
The six-time Pro Bowler led the Colts with 40 receptions for 351 yards and one touchdown this season. He has 1,095 career catches for 12,402 yards and 71 touchdowns in 179 games.
Allen spent much of his career with the Los Angeles Chargers, recording five 1,000-yard seasons from 2017 through 2023. He played for Chicago in 2024 before returning to the Chargers in 2025.
The 49ers, who are 7-1, have been dealing with injuries at wide receiver. Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Christian Kirk, and Demarcus Robinson are among the players affected.
One player who stayed in Indianapolis was running back Jonathan Taylor. The Colts received calls about the seventh-year veteran but did not make a deal before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
Indianapolis was seeking a package similar to what Carolina received when it traded Christian McCaffrey in 2022. That deal brought the Panthers second-, third-, and fourth-round picks, along with a future fifth-round selection.
According to Tom Pelissero of The Ringer and Netflix, the Colts were unwilling to part with Taylor.
Tuesday’s moves followed two earlier trades. Indianapolis sent guard Quenton Nelson to Seattle on October 27 for a third-round pick in 2027 and a fifth-round selection in 2028.
The Colts also traded defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to San Francisco for a fourth-round pick in 2027. Together, the four trades have left Indianapolis with 10 selections in next year’s draft.
However, the Colts will not have their own first-round pick. That selection belongs to the New York Jets as part of last season’s Sauce Gardner trade and currently stands at No. 4 overall.
Indianapolis is now positioned to make its first selection in the second round of the 2027 draft.
With Downs and Allen gone, the Colts’ remaining receivers who have caught passes this season include Ashton Dulin, Laquon Treadwell, Anthony Gould, Deion Burks, Alec Pierce, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Pierce is currently sidelined with an injury.
