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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers traded a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday for six-time Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen, five days before they visit the Dallas Cowboys. The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero reported the deal before the Colts announced it that afternoon.
Allen, 34, signed with Indianapolis in August and caught 40 passes on 58 targets for 351 yards and 1 touchdown in eight games. Nobody on the team had more receptions.
Indianapolis is 2-7 after five straight losses and fired general manager Chris Ballard last month. The Allen deal is the Colts’ third trade since Week 1, and the same two teams made a trade on Oct. 27, when San Francisco sent a 2027 fourth-round pick to Indianapolis for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner.
According to The San Francisco Standard, 49ers general manager John Lynch called Indianapolis about Allen after the Buckner deal. Allen, who is on a one-year contract, will cost the 49ers about $688,000 in prorated base salary plus $30,000 for every game he is active, topping out at $958,000. He has missed two games over the past three seasons.
49ers Lead The NFC With Three Receivers Injured
San Francisco is 7-1 and leads the NFC after Sunday’s 38-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Levi’s Stadium. Mike Evans has been managing Achilles tendinitis, Deebo Samuel is working back from a hamstring injury, and Ricky Pearsall is out for the season after knee surgery this summer.
After that game, with the deadline two days away, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan took questions from reporters. “Everybody talks through trades, but really when it comes down to it, how many guys are really available? How many teams go through with it?” Shanahan said.
Keenan Allen’s Career And Pending Case
With 1,095 career catches, Allen ranks eighth in NFL history. The San Diego Chargers drafted him out of Cal in the third round in 2013, 76th overall, and he spent 11 seasons with them before a March 2024 trade to the Chicago Bears for a fourth-round pick. Back with the Chargers in 2025, he caught 81 passes for 777 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Allen was arrested Aug. 30 in Indianapolis and faces two misdemeanor counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, The Associated Press reported. His attorneys are scheduled to meet again Dec. 7, and no trial date has been set.
The 49ers play the Cowboys (4-5) on Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, with kickoff at 3:25 p.m. CT. San Francisco then meets the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 22 in Mexico City.
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