Alec Pierce Landing Spots: Where Will The Star WR Play In 2026?
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Coming off a breakout campaign in 2024, Indianapolis Colts wideout Alec Pierce entered the 2025 season with elevated expectations. Not only did Pierce live up to such expectations, he remained one of the top deep-threats in the NFL, leading the league in yards per catch for the second consecutive season.
Over 15 games, Pierce hauled in 47 of his 84 targets for 1,003 receiving yards and six touchdowns. The Cincinnati product marked a new career-high in receiving yardage, showing continued development in his fourth NFL season. His success on the field translated to fantasy football, where he finished the year ranked as WR16 in non-PPR leagues, and WR28 in PPR.
Final stats for #Colts WR Alec Pierce this season:
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 4, 2026
🔵 47 catches
🔵 1,003 yards
🔵 6 TDs
That’s an ABSURD 21.3 yards per catch.
He’s set to be a free agent this offseason — and he’ll get paid big time. 💰 https://t.co/qpWd7vvPCf pic.twitter.com/bbABYvvtJT
Entering the offseason, Pierce is emerging as one of the top free agents at the wide receiver position. Should he hit the open market without the franchise tag, the former second-round pick would garner immense interest from teams around the league. Here are four landing spots for the star wideout with free agency rapidly approaching:
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have already made their interest in bringing back their leading receiver clear. The team will surely work to retain Pierce and could ultimately franchise tag the star wideout for a price tag of roughly $29 million. While that price is well above the yearly number he’d earn on a multi-year deal in free agency, Indianapolis will make an aggressive push to keep Pierce in the building.
Pierce showed out in free agency throughout the season and could build on such a performance alongside Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor in 2026. Should the team move on from the likes of Jones, who is coming off an Achilles tear, his fantasy projections would be unclear. Still, he’ll remain an integral contributor to the Colts’ passing attack.
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are entering the offseason in a good spot despite a lowly performance in 2025. Tennessee already nailed its head coach search, bringing in Robert Saleh on a five-year deal and will enter free agency with the most cap space of any team in the league by a healthy margin. The Titans should give Pierce a serious look this offseason, as his pairing with former No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward could vastly open up Tennessee's offense.
Pierce’s fantasy stock could take a notable jump with the Titans. The Colts wideout presents a consistent deep-threat for Tennessee's offense, filling a notable need for the unit. Pierce would likely emerge as the top wideout in the Titans’ receiving corps, adding to an upward fantasy trend.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers enter the offseason riddled with uncertainty. The team is searching for just its fourth head coach in the Super Bowl era, and could be searching for its new franchise quarterback. Fortunately for the team, Pittsburgh enters the offseason with a top-10 cap situation in the NFL, with plenty of financial freedom to strike a deal with Pierce. The team is in dire need of receiver help outside of DK Metcalf, a billing the star wideout fits perfectly.
Without Aaron Rodgers, Pierce’s fantasy stock could take a slight hit, should the four-time MVP elect to move on. Behind Rodgers, second-year quarterback Will Howard likely emerges as Pittsburgh’s starter under center for 2026. Metcalf and Pierce would form a stellar one-two punch in the Steelers’ passing game to give Howard a plethora of weapons to set him up for immediate success, which could help bolster Pierce’s fantasy outlook.
New York Jets
The New York Jets are also slated to enter the offseason with plenty of uncertainty. The t-eam’s backfield tandem of Justin Fields and Breece Hall aren’t expected to return in 2026, with the team looking at veteran options under center to start the offseason. Regardless of who the team adds at quarterback, the offense will need additional help in the passing game alongside star wideout Garrett Wilson. The Jets boast the fourth-most cap space of any team in the league, with plenty of room to land Pierce in the open market.
It’s difficult to project significant improvement from Pierce’s current fantasy projections with a move to New York. If anything, a move to an offense that’s ranked near the bottom of the league in every season over the past decade could hamper his fantasy stock. The Jets have the money to offer Pierce an enticing deal, though questions could be raised over his role in a pieced-together offensive unit.
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Ethen Hutton is a MLB, WNBA, College, and Fantasy contributor at On SI. Previously, he's covered the NBA, WNBA and NFL for Sportskeeda. Hutton is also a passionate fantasy football player and an immense music lover.