The San Francisco 49ers acquired wide receiver Keenan Allen from the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round draft pick, the teams announced.
The six-time Pro Bowl receiver joins a 49ers offense that has been battered by injuries at the position. Mike Evans has missed the last two games with Achilles and rib injuries, Deebo Samuel has missed three straight games with a hamstring injury, Christian Kirk is on injured reserve with a meniscus injury, rookie De’Zhaun Stribling is on injured reserve with an ankle injury and hopes to return in December, and Ricky Pearsall is out for the season with a PCL injury.
Despite the losses, San Francisco sits atop the NFC at 7-1. Allen has caught 40 passes for 351 yards and a touchdown in eight games with Indianapolis this season.
Allen was arrested in August on two misdemeanor charges of operating while intoxicated. He has not faced league discipline while the legal process remains ongoing, but could be suspended for three games once it concludes, in line with the NFL’s typical punishment under its personal conduct policy.
Now in his 14th NFL season, Allen spent his first 11 years with the Chargers franchise, including four seasons in San Diego before the team’s move to Los Angeles, before being traded to the Chicago Bears. He played one season in Chicago before re-signing with the Chargers last year, then signed with the Colts during training camp in August 2026. For his career, he has caught 1,095 passes for 12,402 yards and 71 touchdowns.
This marks the second trade between the two franchises this season; San Francisco acquired All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner from Indianapolis in October for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
For the Colts, the Allen deal is their third trade since firing general manager Chris Ballard. Indianapolis also sent eight-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks.
More moves could follow before the deadline, which falls at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday. Running back Jonathan Taylor has drawn trade interest, and wide receiver Josh Downs has requested a trade following the departures of Nelson and Buckner.
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