At the beginning of the 2025 season, it’s hard to imagine that anyone had Alec Pierce pegged as the top free agent wide receiver for 2026. Pierce was coming off a fine season in 2024 – one in which he led the league in yards-per-catch. Still, no one had him ranked all that high.
In 2025, however, he proved that he was far more than a one-dimensional downfield threat. He led the league once again in yards-per-catch, but he also expanded his route tree. He showed he could run intermediate crosses and operate in zones.
His size allowed him to win contested catch situations. Pierce may not be the shiftiest of runners in the open field, but aside from that, he demonstrated a skill set that compares with the league’s best wideouts.
Consequently, he’s going to get paid. Once the Dallas Cowboys used their franchise tag on George Pickens, Alec Pierce emerged as a consensus top wide receiver target in 2026 free agency. There are some appealing veterans like Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel on the market, but no one offers Pierce’s combination of proven production and youth.
Do the Indianapolis Colts have a realistic chance of holding onto Alec Pierce?
Chris Ballard would love to bring Alec Pierce back on a multi-year deal. Why wouldn’t he?
When everyone was healthy, the Colts had a classic set of receivers – Michael Pittman, Jr. as the reliable possession guy, Josh Downs as the slippery slot option, and Pierce as the ascendant WR1. Add in the hyper-talented Tyler Warren and sensational Jonathan Taylor, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a team with a better starting quintet of pass catchers.
But of course, re-signing Pierce will get expensive. Is Ballard willing to meet the projected four-year/80 million dollar contract Pierce may command? And that could be a low-end projection. It only takes one aggressive team to jack up the price. Can you say, Christian Kirk?
Even if Ballard can swing the money, there may be something more fundamental in play. Pittman has been the Colts' alpha receiver since taking over the role from T.Y. Hilton in 2021. Alec Pierce wants more targets.
With the arrival of Warren last season, Pierce fell to fourth on the team in targets. As long as Warren, Downs, and especially Pittman remain, can Alec Pierce really expect to get a WR1 workload?
There are other teams that can offer him both money and targets, and those are the teams most likely to sign him when free agency begins next week.
At the top of the list is the defending AFC champion New England Patriots. They had a spectacular season without a truly dominant receiver, and now they have parted company with their de facto WR1, Stefon Diggs.
The chance to play on an ascendant team with Drake Maye at quarterback seems like an ideal situation. Pierce would instantly become the Pats' top receiving option while Kayshon Boutte plays the role Pierce has played in Indy up ‘til now.
In fact, the Patriots make so much sense on paper that some analysts consider it a virtual lock. But other teams will get into the mix, including the Colts.
The Tennessee Titans have money to spend, a proven offensive coordinator in Brian Daboll, and a budding star at QB in Cam Ward. Pierce would give the Titans something they have not had since the days of A.J. Brown, and perhaps the prospect of going to a team in a position to begin a major rebuild, as well as pay a lot of money, will appeal to Pierce.
Almost everything you can say about the Titans' situation applies to the Los Angeles Chargers. In fact, they have even more money on hand than Tennessee. And if Cam Ward is a potential star, Justin Herbert is already there. The Chargers made the playoffs last season without a proven WR1. Adding one this year would appear to be a priority.
The 49ers are looking at a complete wide receiver overhaul. Just two years ago, Jauan Jennings, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk led the receiver room in targets. Samuel is long gone,
Jennings is a pending free agent (one of the few younger wideouts other than Pierce who is likely to get a good deal), and Aiyuk is … well, let’s just say he will not be back in the Bay Area and leave it at that. San Fran is moving forward with Ricky Pearsall and … anybody’s guess. Alec Pierce would certainly fill a major need for Kyle Shanahan.
There are other long shots, like Pierce’s hometown Bears, who just dealt away D.J. Moore. The Raiders need weapons for presumptive top pick Fernando Mendoza. Denver has a championship defense in need of a more explosive offense to ascend the heights.
Any of those teams could make a push for Pierce. But at this point, I tend to think the ball is indeed in New England’s court. They are a pretty clear favorite to land their new WR1. The Colts, along with several other clubs, remain realistic options, but I wouldn’t bet on it at this point.