The Buffalo Bills fell flat in trying to improve their wide receiver room at last season’s NFL trade deadline, but have the chance to try again as the calendar page turns on a new league season this month.
The Bills have been named a top contender to land several coveted free agent and trade target wide receivers, but may be falling out of contention for their top target. Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay broke down the top likely targets for this year’s crop of free-agent receivers, dishing out some bad news for the Bills.
Bills Could STrike Out on Alec Pierce
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce has been consistently pegged as a top target for the Bills, a well-rounded receiver who could boost a squad that struggled at times last season. But Kay noted that the Colts appear poised to keep him in the mix — especially after the team’s use of the transition tag on quarterback Daniel Jones showed that the team is willing to pay up to keep its core together.
“While Pierce would garner plenty of interest in free agency, the Indianapolis Colts would be wise to prioritize retaining their homegrown talent before he gets there,” Kay wrote. “It seems that is exactly what the organization is planning on doing to open a critical offseason.”
To back his assertion, Kay quoted general manager Chris Ballard about the team’s desire to keep their breakout wide receiver.
“Because Daniel and Alec are such big pieces, we move and fit from there. Everybody’s got a budget, and we’ve got a cap, so we’re going to have to deal with that.” Ballard said, via Nathan Brown of the Indianapolis Star. “I don’t know that it’s necessarily a run-it-back situation. We’re going to try and make the team the best we can to make a run.”
Bills Could Strike Out on Other Targets
Kay listed landing spots for some other top wide receivers, including Tyreek Hill and Mike Evans. The Bills were not seen as a top contender for anyone in the group, which could make a more difficult path for the team to improve its wide receiving corps.
SI.com’s Alex Brasky believes the Bills will take a different approach, outlining a list of lower-cost wide receivers the team could target. The list includes Brandin Cooks, who came to Buffalo off the waiver wire late last season and grew into a reliable target for Allen.
“While drops were somewhat of an issue for Cooks during his seven-game stint (including playoffs) with the Bills in 2025, his ability to get open downfield was unmatched elsewhere within Buffalo’s wide receiver corps,” Brasky wrote. “He finished the regular season with five receptions for 114 yards, a whopping 22.8 average yards per reception.”
Brasky outlined some other potential options, including Greg Dortch and Keenan Allen. But the Bills will face decisions on some of their own receivers as well, with some analysts predicting they could part ways with veteran Curtis Samuel or struggling third-year receiver Keon Coleman.
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