The Indianapolis Colts shocked some people when they re-signed Alec Pierce to a four-year deal worth $114 million. Re-signing Pierce wasn't necessarily a surprise but giving him that massive contract while also trading away Michael Pittman Jr. was a bit of a shock.
Pierce is coming off a season where he tallied 1,003 yards and six touchdowns off of 47 receptions. It was the first year in his career where he went over the 1,000-yard receiving mark and that could make this contract quite a risky one for the Colts.
Matt Verderame of SI didn't like this move for Indianapolis and listed Pierce as one of his "likely busts from 2026 free agency". Pierce came in at No. 3 on Verderame's list.
"Realistically, there’s no world where Pierce likely becomes a top-10 receiver. And while the old adage says the best players hitting the market will always command top dollar, it can be foolhardy to pay the contract someone else should be allowed to give out. If Pierce doesn’t become more than a deep-ball threat (he’s led the league with 22.3 and 21.3 yards per reception over the past two years) and expand his route tree, the contract could be an albatross in the future."
Alec Pierce crowned as 'likely bust' from this free agent cycle
While I get where Verderame is headed with this argument, Pierce did expand his route tree this past year. If Pierce doesn't live up to this contract, it'll be more on the Colts than it will be on the newly paid wide receiver. Their quarterback situation hasn't been great since Pierce has been with the team and, even Jones missing the back half of the season, he still played well.
Pierce's contract is going to be a reason people zero in on him and criticize him if he doesn't play well, and that's to be expected. That being said, he's shown that he's improving, and the Colts clearly recognized that and paid him handsomely. If they don't utilize him correctly (like using him more on screens, for one) and give him the opportunities to show why he earned that contract, then that's on them.
Let's hope Alec Pierce balls out and proves the naysayers wrong in 2026 and beyond.