Since the Indianapolis Colts traded Michael Pittman Jr., it made it imperative for them to re-sign Alec Pierce. And here are the grades for Pierce's $116 million contract in 2026 NFL free agency.
When Pittman left the building, the Colts moved Pierce to the WR1 slot. Whether he can be that guy remains to be seen. But since the players behind him are Josh Downs, Ashton Dulin, and others, the Colts desperately needed Pierce to emerge as an Alpha.
Pierce is a four-year veteran with no Pro Bowl appearances. However, he did edge past the 1,000-yard mark in 2025. He has scored 13 touchdowns over the last two seasons. And he led the NFL in yards-per-catch average in each of the last two seasons, with 22.3 and 21.3.
One thing is for sure. If Pierce remains as the Colts’ WR1, his average per catch likely won’t lead the NFL. The Colts will need him to make shorter catches, too, and move the chains.
How does WR Alec Pierce’s deal look for the Colts?
First, the Colts probably made a mistake overall. And you have to factor the Pittman trade into the Pierce deal. Once again, the Colts had no choice but to pay Pierce big dollars if they were going to let go of Pittman.
Yes, Pierce can be more than a deep threat. But he will have to operate without Pittman attracting an important amount of defensive attention. Yes, the finances matter, according to indystar.com.
“Pittman was due $22 million in base salary with the Colts to go with $5 million in his pro-rated signing bonus and a $2 million roster bonus,” Nathan Brown wrote.
Pittman admitted he didn’t perform at the level the team needed.
“It just wasn't good enough, and that starts with me,” Pittman said. “That last half just wasn't good enough to go out there and win games. We've gotta take that, own that, and that starts with me. I could've played a lot better throughout these games.”
So now the Colts will ride with Pierce as their man guy. If the Colts get things settled with quarterback Daniel Jones, the contract for Pierce could work out OK. It’s just that there are still many question marks, so the grade can’t be overly high.
What helps is that Pierce has unique abilities, according to Colts.com.
“He has some attributes that a lot of people don't have,” former Colts wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne said. “If you give him an opportunity, he'll high-point the ball, and he'll be able to bring it in nine times out of 10.”
Colts grade: B-
What about the grade for Alec Pierce?
One of the main things about this deal is where Pierce wanted to play. He gets to stay in the same system where he excelled over each of the last two seasons. Perhaps that played a key role.
Or maybe it was simply being with the Colts, according to a post on X by Pat McAfee via Yahoo.
“I knew where my heart was, I love the city of Indianapolis,” Pierce said minutes after the deal became official. “Just seeing where we were at last year, early in the year, rolling, I truly believe we were the No. 1 team in the NFL.”
So there it is. Pierce believes the team is one of the NFL’s best. And he’s happy in Indy. And he got tons of money. That makes his grade easy.
Alec Pierce’s grade: A+
