Next Image component fails when a relative src redirects to an external image

Link to the code that reproduces this issue

https://github.com/charlottelong-figma/next-image-redirect-repro

To Reproduce

1. Clone the repo
2. Run npm ci && npm run dev
3. Open http://localhost:3000 (or whichever port the project is running on)
4. You can see that the native image renders first while the Next.js Image component below it fails

Current vs. Expected behavior

Following the steps from the previous section, I expected the Next image component to follow the redirect and render the image. Currently, the route in the linked reproduction /redirected-image correctly returns a response with status code 302 and an absolute Location value. In the <img> case, the browser follows the redirect and correctly displays the image. The next/image optimization request does not follow the redirect, however, and instead returns a 500 response with '"url" parameter is valid but internal response is invalid'.

Provide environment information

Operating System:
  Platform: darwin
  Arch: arm64
  Version: Darwin Kernel Version 25.4.0: Thu Mar 19 19:33:25 PDT 2026; root:xnu-12377.101.15~1/RELEASE_ARM64_T6041
  Available memory (MB): 49152
  Available CPU cores: 16
Binaries:
  Node: 22.22.0
  npm: 11.18.0
  Yarn: 1.22.22
  pnpm: 10.27.0
Relevant Packages:
  next: 16.4.0-canary.15 // Latest available version is detected (16.4.0-canary.15).
  eslint-config-next: N/A
  react: 19.2.8
  react-dom: 19.2.8
  typescript: 5.9.3
Next.js Config:
  output: N/A

Which area(s) are affected? (Select all that apply)

Image (next/image), Redirects

Which stage(s) are affected? (Select all that apply)

next dev (local), next start (local)

Additional context

This was also an issue for other users reported in this discussion post: https://github.com/vercel/next.js/discussions/36808

Start with the linked reproduction by running npm ci && npm run dev, then inspect the /redirected-image route and compare the native <img> request with the next/image optimization request. Done means the Next Image component follows the 302 redirect and renders the external image without the reported 500 response.