Alec Pierce: Everything you need to know

Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Monday that Pierce is facing roughly a three-month recovery timeframe after undergoing a "clean-up" ankle procedure, Noah Compton of SI.com reports. Ballard noted that Pierce is expected to retake the field during training camp, which kicks off in late July, and that the team doesn't "expect any long-term implications" resulting from his ankle procedure. The only two regular-season games Pierce missed in 2025 were due to the NFL's concussion protocol, though he was briefly listed with an Achilles issue on the injury report in mid-December. Pierce re-signed with Indianapolis on a four-year, $116 million deal this offseason and faces a clearer path to targets after the team traded fellow WR Michael Pittman to Pittsburgh, though it still remains to be seen whether QB Daniel Jones (Achilles) -- who re-signed via a two-year extension in March -- will be ready to start Week 1.

Pierce is slated to re-sign with the Colts, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Per Schefter, the deal to keep Pierce -- who had been viewed as one of the top pending free-agent wideouts -- with Indianapolis is a four-year, $116 million agreement. The 2022 second-rounder is coming off a 2025 regular season in which he logged a 47-1,003-6 line on 84 targets in 15 games. Pierce's field-stretching ability was clearly highly valued by the Colts, and the fact that he's already off the market no doubt affects the plans of other NFL teams in pursuit of WR upgrades. Now that Pierce is back in the fold, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network relays the Colts continue to work toward a multi-year deal with QB Daniel Jones.

Pierce said Wednesday on the Up & Adams show that he does not expect to re-sign with the Colts before the start of the legal tampering period on March 9, Nathan Brown of the Indianapolis Star reports. Indianapolis decided to assign the non-exclusive franchise tag to quarterback Daniel Jones (Achilles) rather than Pierce on Tuesday, positioning the wide receiver to hit free agency fresh off having posted a career-best 47-1,003-6 receiving line (84 targets) across 15 regular-season appearances in 2025. The 2022 second-round pick said he's "loved to play" with the Colts, which he called "a great organization," but stated that he's "earned the right to explore free agency and see what's out there." Previously, Pierce has expressed a desire to continue playing with Jones, but it remains to be seen whether it will be feasible for Indianapolis to extend competitive offers to both players. Jones will be able to negotiate with other teams this offseason, with the Colts retaining the right to match any offer he receives.