Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce re-injured or aggravated the injury to his ankle or heel injury in Week 2, and the expectation is that he will miss at least several games. He could be out far longer, but even missing four games could change the franchise for the foreseeable future.
That directly affects head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard, of course. The team needs to make the playoffs for those two to likely keep their jobs, but winning without Pierce seems like a stretch. But Pierce's absence could influence the team even if Steichen and Ballard are gone.
For one, Ballard has already screwed over the next general manager, assuming, in this scenario, that Ballard is fired. The GM traded two first-round picks for cornerback Sauce Gardner in 2025, which means that Indy has not first-rounder next year. But Ballard has also tied the team to a bloated Pierce contract, which is the case whether Pierce plays to his previous level or not.
Alec Pierce re-injuring his heel could have long-term ramifications for the Indianapolis Colts
The wide receiver was re-signed for four seasons and as much as $114 million in the offseason, too much for a player who had never had 50 catches in a season. The pay was based on the hope that the player would develop into a top-10 receiver. It was a risk.
Pierce has been a good player, leading the NFL in yards per reception over the last two years, but has only had one season with more than 1,000 receiving yards (1,003 yards in 2025). The general manager was desperate to bring Pierce back and overpaid for him. That is not the player's fault.
But should Pierce return fully healthy later this season and beyond, he must produce a lot more than he ever has. Should he play every game in 2027 and have 75 catches for 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns, does that equate to earning $28.5 million a season? That is what his deal pays him, and his cap hit gets huge beginning next year.
Alec Pierce's heel issue could linger, reducing his chances of ever being truly elite. If the Indianapolis Colts miss the playoffs in 2026, partly because Pierce misses many games, the new general manager, not historically tied to the receiver, could make the difficult decision to move on from Pierce.
If that happens next year, and on the fifth day of the 2027 fiscal year for the NFL, Pierce is guaranteed $10 million of his salary. Indy would save literally no money against the cap if he is waived. If Pierce doesn't meet the lofty standards his contract requires next season, the team could release him before the 2028 season and save $27 million, according to Over the Cap.
To compound issues, the team could be looking at a Miami Dolphins-type teardown, clearing future cap space in hopes of rebuilding a lot of the roster. The Colts are trending more toward being the Dolphins than the Seattle Seahawks, after all.
Key players such as DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Charvarius Ward, and Quenton Nelson are all 30 years old or older. Sooner rather than later, the Colts are not going to have them around. Having an expensive wide receiver who cannot produce at a top-10 level isn't worth keeping him around either.
By 2028, the Indianapolis Colts could be looking at having a different general manager and head coach than they do now, and also not having Buckner, Ward, Stewart, Nelson, and Pierce. That might make the future better, but the immediate years are challenging for fans.
That is all a worst-case scenario, of course. Maybe Alec Pierce returns midway through this season, is fantastic, and the team makes the playoffs. That does seem less realistic than the above situation, though.
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