With the NFL officially in offseason mode, teams have turned their attention to their soon-to-be free agents. Some teams have already extended players, others have committed to using the franchise tag, and there are also players who will have the opportunity to explore the market.
The Indianapolis Colts will soon have to decide which of those is the best path to go down with Alec Pierce.
The veteran wide receiver is coming off his best season with Indianapolis, but his future is up in the air after finishing out his rookie contract.
However, there should only be two options for Colts general manager Chris Ballard, regarding Pierce: either the team signs him to a new deal, or he’s franchise tagged. Either way, Indy can’t afford to lose Pierce, and Ballard, especially, can’t be the one responsible for letting the wide receiver get out of the door.
Indianapolis Colts must keep Alec Pierce by any means necessary
Simply put, Pierce is a huge part of Indy’s offense. In 2025, he led the team in receiving yards with 1,003 on 47 catches, while also adding six receiving touchdowns.
The big-play wide receiver also led the league in yards per reception for a second year in a row, averaging 21.3 yards a catch — a year after averaging 22.3. In his four-year career, the wideout has played in 64 games, catching 157 passes for 2,934 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Letting go of an explosive wide receiver like Pierce, who turns 26 this offseason, would be absolutely foolish. Additionally, it’s not an understatement to say the Colts offense would look significantly different without him. While Indy would still have exciting playmakers, it won’t have anyone with the skillset of Pierce, and removing his explosiveness would be tough to navigate.
That's why Ballard absolutely has to keep the receiver in Indianapolis; any step back the offense takes, if Pierce leaves, would fall directly on the general manager who didn’t keep him around. Chris Ballard is already on the hot seat going into 2026, so he can’t afford the catastrophic mistake of Alec Pierce moving on to thrive elsewhere, while the Colts' offense regresses.