The Indianapolis Colts find themselves in a multitude of tricky positions for both the remainder of the 2025 NFL season and the offseason to follow. On the one hand, they are playing for their postseason livelihood with Philip Rivers at the helm, which is an adventure I'm not sure Colts fans want to be on.
On the other hand, they have several looming questions to address when the clock inevitably strikes zero on their season soon, as they play a daunting trio of opponents in the final weeks of the campaign with a lovable dinosaur currently under center.
At the forefront of their decisions this offseason is what to do with Daniel Jones, and shortly thereafter, what to do with Braden Smith. Chris Ballard doesn't do in-season extensions, so fans in Indy can't get a clear indication of how things will go down.
Jaguars' Jakobi Meyers deal just gave Colts tricky number to work with for Alec Pierce
Oh, and there is the Alec Pierce situation, as he'll be an unrestricted free agent and sure to command more money than the Colts want to give him. With Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs, as well as dynamic pieces like Jonathan Taylor and Tyler Warren, on paper, Pierce looks expendable.
But fans know that, even if he isn't the most valuable piece, he is the glue that holds this unit together in a lot of ways. Ballard and Shane Steichen would surely like to keep him, but the Jacksonville Jaguars' three-year, $60 million extension that they gave Jakobi Meyers threw a wrench into things.
In a lot of ways, Pierce and Meyers are similar players. Not a true No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL, but an incredibly important ancillary piece to an offense that hopes to be a top-flight unit. Surely, everyone in the Colts' front office looked at Meyers' deal in the context of what it meant for Pierce. So did he.
By waiting until the offseason, the floor for Pierce's extension may now be $20 million per year. Their production is starkly similar, but Pierce is a whole four years younger than his AFC South counterpart. That is a significant factor when doling out long-term contracts.
Pierce striking a team-friendly deal would make things quite easy for Ballard and Co. But this is the NFL, and there is no reason to expect anyone, even a fan favorite and well-liked guy such as Pierce, to take less than what they feel they deserve.
The Jaguars already screwed the Colts by trading for Meyers, as they're now 5-1 since the acquisition and in control of the AFC South. But now, by extending him, they've put Indianapolis in even more of a bind when it comes to Pierce.