Colts WR Alec Pierce is a free agent; here's what he said about next year

4 days ago 2

INDIANAPOLIS – Locker clean-out day hit a bit different Monday morning for Alec Pierce.

The three years past, the standout deep-threat receiver knew he could leave some of his belongings behind. He’d be back in a couple months after a much-needed vacation in time to lock back in ahead of OTAs.

Pierce, who clinched his first 1,000-yard season in Sunday’s season-finale with a four-catch, 132-yard, two-touchdown performance and who proved to be a lifeline down the stretch this year for a sputtering offense, is widely viewed as one of the top two free agent wideouts this spring – and a top 10 free agent overall.

In the words of Pierce’s position coach, legendary Colts receiver-turned wide receiver coach: “His price just keeps going up.”

Pierce was one of just 20 receivers in the league in 2025 to break the 1,000 yard mark and did so leading the league in yards per catch for the second-straight year. Among receivers who played at least 10 games in 2025, second-best (Green Bay’s Christian Watson) finished 3.8 yards per catch back (21.3 vs. 17.5).

After finishing the fourth and final year of his deal with a cap hit of just over $4.1 million – after just $1.8 million in 2023 – Pierce is set to draw a deal worth well over $20 million. The NFL’s 20 highest-paid receivers per year currently make on average $23 million per year, with 15^th at $25 million and 10^th at $29 million.

“It’s like getting recruited, because you now have a say, and it’s ultimately my decision, which is different from when you’re coming out (of college) and you get drafted,” Pierce said Monday. “That’s the best part about it. Ultimately, you get to make a decision that’s right for you and right for your future.”

Pierce was asked what he’d prioritize in the process – joining a contender like Buffalo that should be in hot pursuit of teaming him up with former MVP quarterback Josh Allen, hunting the biggest check or staying put and building on the foundation he’s laid in Indianapolis the last four years.

The 2022 second-round pick out of Cincinnati said he honestly didn’t know.

“I’ll probably be pretty hands-off and just let my agents do the work,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll talk to some guys on the team – (Michael Pittman Jr.) or (Daniel Jones), guys who’ve been through it before, and just learn what the process is like and what’s normal.

“But I’m not really sure. I think I’ve got to see it all laid out in front of me. There’s so many different variables that go into that decision. I think it’s really hard to say what the priorities are, because you’re looking at 50 different variables at each place.”

But the Colts have one variable no other team can (likely) offer: The chance to pair back up with Jones, his quarterback for the first two-thirds of 2025 who he built a tight on and off-field bond with and who helped him blossom over the team’s first 10 games, where they connected for 28 catches for 585 yards.

Jones, too, leaves Monday’s locker clean-out day as an impending free agent who simultaneously will be rehabbing a torn right Achilles tendon and who seems primed to return to Indianapolis on some new deal.

“Oh, huge, that would definitely be a big thing for getting me back here is having (Jones) here as the QB,” Pierce said.

Two hours after Sunday’s season-finale – the team’s seventh-straight loss following an 8-2 start – Colts principal team owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon agreed to bring general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen back, a sign Indianapolis will be looking to retool, rather than rebuild, and make a concerted effort to return to the playoffs for the first time in five years.

Bringing back one of the league’s best young wideouts – no matter the veteran salary cuts it may require – would seem to be Priority No. 2 after Jones.

“I’ve got great relationships here with this organization and the people in this building, this city. They’ve done so much for me so far, and I definitely would love to continue to be part of this organization, and we’ll see where things go,” Pierce said. “But I don’t know. I don’t know how this will all work out."

Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts WR Alec Pierce is a free agent; here's what he said about next year

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