Anything can happen in free agency, of course, and maybe Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce won't leave, but he appears to be trending toward walking away. If he does sign elsewhere, The Athletic's James Boyd suggests Indy replacing Pierce with Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed.
The move would make a lot of sense. Both Pierce and Shaheed have extreme explosiveness, though Pierce is slightly more accomplished in terms of offensive production. The Indianapolis wideout eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving in 2025, and Shaheed has yet to do that.
Boyd writes, "I would expect the Colts to add a receiver in free agency. One speedster who comes to mind is Rashid Shaheed, who torched the Colts a few years ago (while he was with the New Orleans Saints) and helped the Seattle Seahawks win the Super Bowl last season."
Indianapolis Colts insider suggests replacing Alec Pierce with Rashid Shaheed
Shaheed might also be able to help the Colts in more ways than Pierce. While both can outrun defensive backs on post patterns, Shaheed is an elite punt and kick returner, two facets that Indy could do with an upgrade. In other words, the current Seahawks receiver can beat a team in more ways than one.
A huge reason that the Seahawks were able to grab the top seed in the NFC on their way to a Super Bowl victory was that Shaheed changed the narrative of Seattle's Week 16 game against the Los Angeles Rams. LA was also battling for the top seed late in the season.
With Seattle trailing 30-14 in the second half, Shaheed returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown. The Seahawks went on to win the game.
While playing the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round, Shaheed took the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. The game was basically over at that point, as San Fran only scored six points in the game.
Still, Alec Pierce knows the Indianapolis Colts' offensive system, and bringing him back should be the priority. Neither he nor Shaheed is going to be cheap. Pierce could garner as much as $25 million (or more) per season in a new deal, while Shaheed might get as much as $18 million a season.
Which leads to the biggest problem general manager Chris Ballard and the Colts currently have: They cannot afford either Pierce or Shaheed, as after applying the transition tag on quarterback Daniel Jones, the team is over the salary cap unless other moves are made.
This could include getting Jones to agree to a long-term deal before free agency, lowering his overall cap hit in 2026, or releasing players such as wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and Zaire Franklin. Even if that happens, Indianapolis might not be able to afford signing Pierce or Shaheed. In less than a week, however, Colts fans will probably know the outcome of the dilemma.