The Indianapolis Colts need to keep the band together a bit since the team decided to roll it back again for next season. Indy owners decided not to move on from general manager Chris Ballard or head coach Shane Steichen, and that should mean bringing back the players that made the first half of 2025 magical, too.
Quarterback Daniel Jones is a free agent, and he might not be ready for the start of next year after tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 14, but he is expected to play at some point in 2026. Once he returns, he should be able to fit in where he left off for most of this season. That is making Steichen's offense extremely efficient.
Jones needs his weapons back as well. Wide receiver Michael Pittman, Jr., may still be around, but he's expensive. His cap hit is $29 million, and that's too high for a player with his production. Releasing him would save $24 million, and that might be enough to re-sign a receiver who is far more explosive than Pittman.
The Denver Broncos are projected to steal Alec Pierce from the Indianapolis Colts
Otherwise, Indy might not have the cap room to bring back Alec Pierce, and if one projection is true, the wide receiver will go to an AFC rival who is trending toward a pretty bright future. Ryan Guthrie of Pro Football Network thinks Pierce might sign with the Denver Broncos.
To be fair, if Pierce values his raw statistics, he would be smart to sign in Denver. The Broncos need another high-end receiver, and Pierce's targets will probably go up quite a bit from Indianapolis. The Indy receiver was only fourth in targets for the Colts in 2025, even though he led the NFL in yards per catch for the second straight season.
Shane Steichen's offense simply isn't designed to have one wide receiver get a ton more targets than any other. The ball needs to be spread around when running back Jonathan Taylor isn't getting a lot of touches. Pierce made the most of his chances the last couple of years, but he didn't get enough chances.
The price tag for Alec Pierce Guthrie does not suggest. He could fetch more than $20 million, and he would certainly be a boon to quarterback Bo Nix, who is still on his rookie deal. Daniel Jones needs help, too, and he needs the explosiveness that Pierce brings. Assuming Jones is re-signed, Pierce must be too. That might mean moving on from Michael Pittman, Jr.