The Indianapolis Colts cannot rest this offseason. The team hasn't made the postseason only twice in general manager Chris Ballard's 10 seasons, and not at all since 2020. That is unacceptable, especially when every other team in Indy's AFC South has won the division at least twice.
Not only does the team need to attract new talent to Indianapolis, but it needs to keep those players previously on the roster as well. Quarterback Daniel Jones? He needs to return as he is young enough to keep being QB1 for the Colts for many more years. He just needs to stay healthy.
Wide receiver Alec Pierce also needs to come back, but he is going to cost a lot of money. The expectation is that the 6'3" and 210-pound wideout who possesses more speed than just about anyone else in the NFL will get a new deal that pays him as much as $20 million (or more) over a new multi-year deal. He's earned that.
NFL analyst projects Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce to end up elsewhere in 2026
But according to CBS Sports' Zachary Pereles, Pierce could easily end up in a lot of other places besides Indy. That would create a nightmarish situation for the Colts, where their most consistently productive wide receiver is standing out elsewhere. Pierce has led the league in yards per catch in each of the past two seasons, but he just doesn't get the ball enough.
Pereles predicts that Alec Pierce will sign in free agency with the Washington Commanders. He also lists Pierce's potential suitors as the Las Vegas Raiders, Buffalo Bills, and Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as Indy.
The problem with three of those teams is that they play in the AFC. Assuming Pierce helps make those teams better (even the Bills, who are already pretty good to begin with), and hoping that the Indianapolis Colts are better in 2026, Indy could be facing Pierce in the playoffs next season. That's no good.
The potentially positive part for Indianapolis is that only two of the teams that Pereles mentions currently have enough cap room to entice Alec Pierce to join them. The Buffalo Bills have negative cap room, according to Spotrac, though they could create more by releasing or restructuring key players. That is a lot of decisions to make to sign Pierce.
The Colts do have room to bring Pierce back, especially if the team does something with Michael Pittman's expensive contract, and a failure to get Pierce to rejoin Indianapolis should put the finishing touches on Chris Ballard's tenure with the team. Alec Pierce has to be playing for Indy in 2026.