Chiefs Acquire Josh Downs From Colts Just Before Trade Deadline

The Kansas City Chiefs added a receiver in the final hour before the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday. Multiple outlets reported that the Indianapolis Colts traded wide receiver Josh Downs and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Kansas City for a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.

Tom Pelissero of The Ringer and Netflix Sports first reported the terms. The Tennessean, the Indianapolis Star, Pro Football Rumors and Arrowhead Pride all carried the same deal: Downs and the seventh-round pick to Kansas City, fourth and fifth-round picks back to Indianapolis. Neither team had announced the trade when the reports spread, and the deal was reported minutes before the deadline closed at 4 p.m. ET.

A receiver who asked out

Downs, 25, had asked Indianapolis to trade him. He made the request shortly after the Colts dealt left guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, two of the biggest names on the roster, and he said in recent days that he was open to playing somewhere else.

"I'm open to whatever comes my way," Downs said before the deal, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Downs is in the final year of his rookie contract. Indianapolis drafted him in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft out of North Carolina, and he produced right away. In three and a half seasons with the Colts he caught 231 passes for 2,494 yards and 12 touchdowns. This season he has 33 catches for 354 yards and one touchdown in nine games.

Why Kansas City moved

Kansas City had been in the market for a receiver for weeks. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Sunday that the Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers were both interested in Downs and that a fourth-round pick was the likely price. Pittsburgh stayed in the chase until the end, according to reports, but the Steelers did not hold a 2027 fourth-round pick to match the structure Kansas City offered.

Downs works best out of the slot, where he wins on short and intermediate routes and moves the chains. He gives the Chiefs a younger option in the middle of the field for the rest of this season, and his contract year means Kansas City will have to decide on his future after it.

Indianapolis keeps selling

The Downs trade was the second receiver deal of the day for Indianapolis. Earlier on Tuesday the Colts traded veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen to the San Francisco 49ers for a sixth-round pick. After the two trades, Indianapolis signed wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine from its practice squad to the active 53-man roster, a move the Colts announced.

For Indianapolis, the day fit a clear pattern. The Colts moved Nelson, Buckner, Allen and now Downs, and collected draft picks in return each time. For Kansas City, the price was two mid-round picks in 2027 for a 25-year-old receiver who has already produced in the league and wanted a new start.