Colts sent Keenan Allen to the 49ers and Josh Downs to the Chiefs on deadline day. Here are the picks, the fit and what Indianapolis does next.
The Indianapolis Colts sent wide receivers Keenan Allen and Josh Downs to playoff-minded teams on Tuesday, Nov. 10, before the NFL trade deadline. Allen goes to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2027 sixth-round pick, and Downs goes to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2027 fourth-rounder and fifth-rounder, according to the Colts' own announcements.
What did the Colts get for Keenan Allen and Josh Downs?
For Allen, the Colts get a 2027 sixth-round pick that the 49ers had picked up from Baltimore, per the team's pick list on Colts.com. Allen signed with Indianapolis as a free agent in August. In eight games he caught 40 passes on 58 targets for 351 yards and one touchdown, and his 1,095 career receptions rank eighth in NFL history, the Colts said.
For Downs, Kansas City sent a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. The Colts also sent a 2027 seventh-round pick, originally from Buffalo, to the Chiefs. Downs is 25 and was a third-round pick in 2023. He had 33 catches for 354 yards and one touchdown in nine games this season, seven of them starts, and 231 catches for 2,494 yards and 12 touchdowns in 56 games for the Colts overall.
Why did the 49ers and Chiefs want a receiver?
San Francisco needed bodies. CBS Sports reports that the 49ers have lost several wideouts to injury, including Mike Evans, who is dealing with an Achilles strain. The offense hasn't suffered much so far: through Week 9 it ranked sixth in yards per game (376.8) and third in points per game (29.4), according to CBS, which also notes that Allen's 40 catches would lead all 49ers receivers right now.
Kansas City's problem is a quieter one. CBS Sports says Chiefs wide receivers average 117.5 receiving yards per game, the fewest of the Patrick Mahomes era and 28th in the league, even with the team at 6-2. CBS also points out that Downs has piled up 1,995 receiving yards from the slot since 2023, second most in the NFL in that span, and that he asked for a trade out of Indianapolis.
What does it mean for the Colts?
The Colts are rebuilding. They have lost five straight, according to CBS, and they dismissed general manager Chris Ballard in October. Allen and Downs are the latest veterans to go since October. Guard Quenton Nelson went to Seattle and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner went to San Francisco, and all four players were due to become free agents after this season.
Across those four deals Indianapolis took in six draft picks and gave up one. The Colts say that leaves them with 10 picks in the 2027 draft and eight in 2028, before any compensatory picks. Running back Jonathan Taylor stayed put, WTHR and CBS Sports reported, so the Colts kept their best-known offensive player through the deadline.
What we make of it
This is our analysis, not reporting. The Chiefs paid a little more and probably got the player with the longer runway: Downs is 25, in a contract year, and playing with a quarterback who can make a slot receiver look very good. If the fit works, expect a second-contract conversation in the spring. Allen is a short-term fix. At 34 he gives the 49ers a dependable route runner on a cheap sixth-round bet, but the whole deal depends on his staying healthy for the stretch run.
For fantasy managers, the honest answer is that it is too early to know. Allen's snap count and Downs' role in a Kansas City offense that has leaned on a few targets will tell us more after this week's games. Until we see how each team uses its new receiver, treat any ranking you see today as a guess.
The Colts' next move is the bigger unknown. Indianapolis has an interim general manager, Ed Dodds, per CBS Sports, and the picks it now holds will go to whoever gets the permanent job.
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Picture credit: Indianapolis Colts
