The Indianapolis Colts re-signed wide receiver Alec Pierce this offseason, which is great. No doubt that the move for the amount of money involved is a huge gamble, as Pierce hasn't yet had 50 catches in a season. Plus, he will need to pick up the slack left by the team trading Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That trade has been claimed by the staffers for CBS Sports to be among their favorite moves of the entire offseason. But make no mistake, their positivity about the deal is more in favor of the Steelers than the Colts.
Jordan Dajani of CBS writes, "It went under the radar, but the Steelers have a new starter out wide -- and they didn't have to give up much for him either. Pittsburgh sent a sixth-round pick to the Colts for wide receiverMichael Pittman Jr., plus a seventh-round pick...Additionally, that seventh-round pick from the Colts turned into Navy running back Eli Heidenreich at No. 230 overall. CBS Sports ranked him as a borderline top 100 prospect in this past class..."
Indianapolis Colts appear to be losers compared to the Pittsbugh Steelers in Michael Pittman Jr. trade
In other words, the Steelers weren't just the perceived winners of the deal because they added the safe, though not overly explosive, Pittman, but with a draft pick that Indy sent Pittsburgh as part of the deal, the NFC North team also got a player late in the draft who might help them long term.
One could argue that Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard was the biggest loser of the trade. He managed to box himself into the situation in 2024 when the team extended Pittman to a deal that included a $29 million cap hit for the 2026 season.
No offense to the receiver, but he never produced enough to have a cap hit that size. He managed a couple of 1,000-yard receiving years and led the team in targets, but for $29 million, he needed to produce 110 catches and 1,500 yards. The Colts system wasn't set up for him to do so.
While the Steelers added Pittman, a great possession wideout, to the splashy DK Metcalf to give quarterback Aaron Rodgers a great chance at success this coming season, the Colts didn't add a player capable of taking Pittman's spot.
After Alec Pierce and Josh Downs, the depth at receiver is exceedingly thin. Ashton Dulin might be expected to be WR3, but Dulin has been more impactful as a kick returner than receiver. In his seven seasons in Indy (he missed the 2023 season with a torn ACL), the most receiving yards he has had in a season are 207. He had just 106 last season.
Of course, the thinking is that tight end Tyler Warren will be even better in his second season, and the trio of receivers will be Pierce, Downs, and Warren. That might work, but Indianapolis fans also might be watching Michael Pittman excel for the Steelers, and fans would be rightfully envious of that.
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