Stampede Blue
Indianapolis, IN — The Indianapolis Colts are in a far too familiar position heading into the offseason, as they once again find themselves sitting firmly on the quarterback carousel that’s plagued them for the better part of general manager Chris Ballard’s tenure.
An added layer to the equation, however, is that of wide receiver Alec Pierce’s emergence.
Blossoming from a one-trick pony to a legitimate deep threat set the floor for Pierce as an NFL wideout, but his emergence in a contract year has resulted in him becoming one of the league’s most underrated players at the position.
Heading into the 2025-26 season, Pierce acknowledged the looming contract talks and admitted that he’s focused on the present.
“I like to take a very day-to-day approach with things,” Pierce told ESPN’s Stephen Holder. “I don’t really think too far in advance.”
Instead, he was focused on evolving as a football player, as he’d let his camp iron out any potential big-picture stuff until it became most important. After being deemed a one-trick pony throughout his rookie contract, Pierce was determined to prove the doubters wrong, and in turn, we’ve seen an all-around wideout blossom.
It was evident back in training camp that Pierce’s short-area quickness had improved, but the rest of his game, from deeper out-breakers to pure isolation work, has followed that same upward trajectory as the season’s gone on. Although he already possessed impressive hands, especially in contested situations, Pierce’s evolution has seen a drastic increase in catch percentage. Here are his current statistical marks for the 2025-26 season:
43 receptions on 72 targets (59.7% catch rate) for 871 receiving yards and 4 receiving touchdowns
With two weeks remaining, and despite missing two games, Pierce has already surpassed career-high ranks in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, catch percentage, first down gains, and is in line to lead the league in yards per reception (20.3) for the second consecutive season.
More specifically, Pierce has become the Colts’ main receiving option as of late, leading the team in receiving in three of the last four games. His season trajectory culminated in a game-best showing on national television against the San Francisco 49ers, where he led the team in receiving, hauling in all four of his targets for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns, a multi-touchdown showing for the first time in his career.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported back in early November that Alec Pierce could warrant upwards of $20M/year in a new deal this upcoming offseason:
“Teams I’ve talked to anticipate [Alec] 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. Pierce is poised for his first 1,000-yard season and has the size/speed combination teams covet.”
At this point, that seems like a bargain. The conversation surrounding Pierce’s retention has evolved from being, ‘it’d be a shame to lose him,’ to ‘re-sign Alec Pierce no matter what,’ to ‘Alec Pierce may very well be the Colts’...
