Insider Believes 'There's Still Hope' for Colts to Reach Deal With Alec Pierce

Alec Pierce has become one of the most sought-after free agents after the Indianapolis Colts couldn't reach a new deal.

Now, the pressure is mounting as the legal tampering period for negotiations begins tomorrow at 4 pm Eastern Standard Time.

Initially, it seemed like a lock for Pierce to stay with the Colts, but following the transition tag being placed on QB Daniel Jones, it's starting to feel like Pierce could very well end up with a new team.

ESPN and Jeremy Fowler listed new destinations for Pierce, but did mention that there's still hope to keep Pierce in the Circle City.

"Expect negotiations between Alec Pierce and the Colts to go down to the wire as the team tries to keep him off Monday's open market.

That's going to be a challenge. Pierce appears poised to make at least $27 million per year on a new deal. The Patriots, Commanders, Raiders and Titans are among teams in the mix.

What helps Indy's case is that Pierce is close with Colts quarterback Daniel Jones and, if everything is equal, would like to stay in Indianapolis.

There's still hope for Indy, but Pierce's market will dictate his direction. His upside and penchant for chunk yardage are attractive to teams."

Sauce Gardner on Colts teammate Alec Pierce 😅

Pierce is one of the top WRs in the free agent market this offseason. pic.twitter.com/BEaH8GMWJp
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 4, 2026

Fowler lists the New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders, Washington Commanders, and Tennessee Titans as landing spots, but realistically, any NFL offense could use a player like Pierce.

To rehash it, Pierce had a career-best year after doing much of the same in 2024. Pierce set career-highs in catches (47), receiving yards (1,003), first downs (41), targets (84), and catch percentage (56.0).

Pierce's six touchdowns may not have been the best he's posted, but it was the second-highest mark of his four years (seven in 2024).

Wide receiver Alec Pierce (blue and white uniform) tries to make a defender miss to gain extra yardage. — Sep 21, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) runs after making a catch during the third quarter at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Pierce was so good in 2025 that he appeared to be Indy's top wide receiver often, even supplanting long-time go-to pass-catcher, Michael Pittman Jr.

Indianapolis had another wild year of quarterbacks, trotting out Jones, Philip Rivers, and Riley Leonard. Other Colts pass-catchers suffered in production due to this, but not Pierce.

During the four games without Jones, Pierce still hauled in nine catches for 230 receiving yards, 25.6 yards per catch, and four touchdowns.

Philip Rivers hits Alec Pierce on the free play for a 20-yard touchdown!

SFvsIND on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/LkZfbV3umf
— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2025

This fact simply supports the argument that it doesn't matter who is throwing Pierce the football; he'll still make plays.

Even when Pierce isn't hauling in catches for big plays, his mere presence forces defenses to respect his skills and put coverage back so he doesn't beat them over the top. This allowed the Colts to operate easier offensively.

Pittman, Josh Downs, Tyler Warren, and Jonathan Taylor all benefited from Pierce being on the field, and Indianapolis undoubtedly wants to keep that going in 2026. However, as Fowler points out, it won't be easy with his price tag getting driven up.

Indianapolis should have extended Pierce during the 2025 season, but didn't, and will likely have to fork over closer to the $25-30 million mark annually to keep him. After trading off Zaire Franklin to the Green Bay Packers, it makes them cap compliant, but barely.

The #Colts now have $154,289 in salary cap space, per Over the Cap, and are therefore cap compliant.

There’s obviously more work to do, I’m told. https://t.co/4OX8hCaOU5
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) March 7, 2026

Critics have come down hard on Chris Ballard for not getting a deal done, and that's completely fair. However, Pierce isn't a superstar receiver, and if he starts asking for too much, Indianapolis may have to accept that they need to move on.

This will be a situation to monitor very closely, with the free agency window opening up on March 11th at 4 pm Eastern Standard Time.

If the Colts have their way, Pierce will be a piece of the 2026 offense to get back to what made it so dynamic through the first 10 weeks of the 2025 regular season.

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