The silent holdout of DeForest Buckner

by Eaazeho | 1 week ago | 0 Comments

Indianapolis — What began as a precautionary trip to IR has now stretched into something far murkier.

DeForest Buckner, the heart and hammer of the Colts' defensive front, has yet to return to action after suffering a dislocated knee earlier this season. While he’s reportedly cleared internal rehab benchmarks, Colts fans haven’t seen #99 back on the field—and no one inside the building seems particularly eager to explain why. In fact, Buckner still hasn’t been officially taken off injured reserve.

One league source described the situation as “civil but cold”—a quiet tension lingering like smoke after a kitchen fire. Buckner hasn’t demanded a trade. He hasn’t aired out the front office. He still travels with the team. He still shows up in film sessions. He’s mentoring rookie Donnelly, dapping up guys on the sideline, even cracking the occasional sideline joke.

But there’s one thing he’s not doing: playing football.

And according to sources, there may be more behind that decision than meets the eye.

After seeking second opinions from private medical consultants unaffiliated with the team, Buckner was reportedly advised to take extreme caution with his knee. These specialists warned of a high reinjury risk, urging him not to rush back. Some around the league now believe the Colts’ veteran lineman may be holding back—not out of protest—but out of genuine fear of aggravating his dislocated knee and tanking his value ahead of free agency.

“He’s not holding out in the traditional sense,” said one AFC exec. “But he sure ain’t in a rush to get back out there for a team that hasn’t paid him yet—especially if his doctors are waving red flags.”

This all unfolds during Buckner’s contract year—a time when most players claw tooth and nail to put together good tape. But in Indy, the math is starting to look different. Donnelly’s breakout is no longer a surprise; it’s a fact. And when whispers started circling this week that Quinnen Williams might be on the trade block? That’s when some inside the locker room said the energy around Buckner shifted for good.

“Everybody’s got a price, and everybody’s got a replacement,” one Colts vet told us anonymously. “I think Buck saw them setting the table without him and said, ‘Bet.’”

So here we are: no holdout, no comeback, no trade. Just a war of silence between an All-Pro talent and a franchise quietly preparing for life after him.

Still, no doors have closed. Yet.

Sources say conversations between Buckner’s camp and Colts brass have been “cordial,” and both sides are waiting for the other to blink first. The Colts don’t want to lose him for nothing. Buckner doesn’t want to risk a reinjury chasing loyalty that might not be mutual. And until one side moves, we may be stuck in football purgatory.

One thing’s for sure: in Indy, cold wars don’t always stay cold for long.