The Indianapolis Colts are riding high right now, as they sit atop the AFC with an 8-2 record during the 2025 NFL season. They've already matched their win total from last year in just 10 games, and with two more victories, they'll surpass the highest win count of Shane Steichen's career in Indianapolis.
But with the territory of great success comes added pressure with each move that the franchise makes. Although it is not necessarily a do-or-die year for the Colts, they have 21 players set to test free agency after this year, and they can't retain all of them, so the time to win is, as always, now.
What to do with Daniel Jones, who looked like a world beater to begin the year but is now showing signs of his New York Giants self, is perhaps the biggest question facing the team. But in that process, they can't neglect just how important a piece to the puzzle Alec Pierce is.
Alec Pierce's projected $20 million salary could complicate things for Colts
On Wednesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen went through and ranked the 25 best looming free agents, as well as what they've heard surrounding their situations. Fowler brought up a potential price point for Pierce on the open market, and it is daunting, to say the least.
"Teams I've talked to anticipate Pierce will hit a big number in free agency. They think the $20 million per year threshold isn't out of the question for him," Fowler wrote. "Pierce is poised for his first 1,000-yard season and has the size/speed combination teams covet. The Colts have decisions to make on offense. If they pay Daniel Jones -- who has chemistry with Pierce -- do they let Pierce walk? Much of that will depend on how Pierce's market develops. The Colts typically don't do extensions during the season."
Whew. If Pierce is going to command around $20 million per year from another NFL team, the Colts might be pretty reluctant to re-sign him. Unless the wheels completely fall off for Jones, he'll eat up a significant piece of the pie, and other key pieces like Braden Smith and Nick Cross need new deals.
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With Michael Pittman Jr. being the player that he is, Josh Downs having another solid campaign, and the Indianapolis offense featuring other major playmakers like Tyler Warren and Jonathan Taylor, Pierce could easily be the odd man out if he becomes unaffordable.
As Fowler mentioned, the Colts don't typically handle extensions and such matters during the season, but if they wait until the offseason, they may get out-bid for his talents. Their best bet is to lock him in at a slightly cheaper price and hope that he'll take less for loyalty's sake.
But if they let this snowball continue to roll down the hill all the way to free agency, no matter what happens this season, re-signing Pierce may become a lost hope. The NFL is a numbers game at the end of the day, and not everyone fits into the equation, as talented and important as they may be.