Josh Downs' wish has been granted and a need has been answered in Kansas City.
The Chiefs are acquiring the slot receiver in a trade with the Colts, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported. Kansas City is sending fourth- and fifth-round picks in the 2027 draft to Indianapolis in the deal while receiving a 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange, per Rapoport and Schefter.
Indianapolis announced the trade shortly after.
Downs becomes the fourth player traded by the Colts prior to Tuesday's deadline, joining the likes of guard Quenton Nelson, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and fellow receiver Keenan Allen, who was traded to San Francisco earlier Tuesday.
"I am beyond grateful and blessed for my time in Indy," Downs wrote on social media following news of the trade. "Nothing but love for the Shoe."
A third-round pick out of North Carolina in 2023, Downs became a reliable secondary receiving option in Indianapolis, pairing with Michael Pittman (and eventually, Alec Pierce) to form a quality pass-catching tandem for the Colts despite instability under center. He posted a career-high 803 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 14 games in 2024, but watched Indianapolis trade Pittman to Pittsburgh and hand Pierce the lucrative extension Downs desired over the offseason, leaving Downs in an awkward spot entering a contract year.
That contract year became a nightmare for the Colts, prompting Downs to request a trade following two deals that shipped Nelson to Seattle and Buckner to San Francisco. Indianapolis didn't initially adhere to his request, and coach Shane Steichen convinced Downs to continue participating following the receiver's ask to be dealt, but after two games played, the Colts decided it was time to maximize whatever return was available for the receiver, especially as free agency loomed in early 2027.
Downs heads to Kansas City to join a receiver room that is headlined by Rashee Rice -- who returned from injury in Week 8 and helped improve Kansas City's passing attack -- but is short at the position following Xavier Worthy's hamstring injury suffered in the Chiefs' Week 9 win over the New York Jets. And if we're being honest, the Chiefs have long needed help at receiver, making them a likely candidate to swing a deal for a receiver even before Worthy's latest injury.
With Downs now in the mix, Patrick Mahomes will have another option to turn to as he surveys the field.
