In the midst of the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 18 season finale against the Houston Texans, wide receiver Alec Pierce was ejected following a confrontation with an official. The ejection came with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter after Pierce attempted to plead with field judge Jabir Walker following an incomplete pass into the end zone that Pierce believed should have been a penalty against Houston. Inadvertently, while appealing his case, Pierce made contact with Walker when trying to raise his arm behind him. By rule, any contact with a referee can be a case for an ejection; however, it is subjective based on how the penalty occurred.
Pierce’s brush with the official was seemingly by accident and not hostile in manner, so his removal from the game felt severe given the circumstances.
CBS Sports Rules Analyst Gene Steratore was called in by CBS Broadcaster Ian Eagle to explain during the broadcast, and even he admitted, “it’s not a lot of contact.”
J.J. Watt also noted that the nature of the penalty felt “harsh”.
Alec Pierce addressed the incident with the media in the locker room following the game.
“I thought it was pass interference and I was talking to him about that, and then I guess I bumped him.”
“I thought it was pass interference, and I was talking to him about that, and then I guess I bumped him,” Pierce stated.
Despite Pierce’s disagreement with Walker’s decision, he still made a classy move to apologize to the official before going to the locker room following the ejection.
Pierce explained his reasoning for going out of his way to do so, stating, “I just wanted to let him know, I wasn’t trying to put hands on him or anything, you know. No malicious act.”
Pierce Was On Pace For A Career Performance
GettyAlec Pierce recorded 78 yards and touchdown in the Indianapolis Colts first matchup against the Houston Texans this season.
Pierce was notably disappointed following the aftermath and the abrupt ending of his season, as well as his inability to finish the game alongside his teammates. Before the ejection, Pierce was on pace for a career day while dismantling the Texans’ number four-ranked pass defense. He began the game with a 66-yard touchdown reception on the Colts’ first possession. This came on a well-placed ball by rookie Riley Leonard over Pierce’s outside shoulder.
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Pierce proceeded to follow up with another touchdown, this one coming on an 8-yard strike in the back corner of the end zone against Derek Stingley Jr.
Pierce’s final notable play came fittingly on a 53–yard deep ball that set up Riley Leonard’s rushing score to finish the drive.
Pierce finished the game with four receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. He was just two yards shy of his career high in terms of yardage.
While he wasn’t able to complete a career-best day, he did have a career-best season. Pierce crossed the four-digit yard mark for the first time in his career, finishing with 1,003 yards on the season. He had a career high in targets with 84 and receptions with 47. His six touchdowns were one short of his career-high, which he achieved last year.
On the season, Pierce also finished with an average of 21.3 yards per catch, which led all receivers.
Pierce’s play has set the receiver up for a big contract in the offseason as he is set to become a free agent. This leads into the next question the Colts need to answer.
Can The Colts Afford Pierce?
GettyColts wide receiver Alec Pierce recorded 210 yards and three touchdowns against the Houston Texans this season.
Earlier in the year, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN discussed what a new contract could look like for Pierce, stating, “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.”
The Colts currently have the ninth most cap space in the league as of 2026, with nearly $45.7 million available. They also have 31 upcoming free agents to address in the offseason, with big names like Daniel Jones on the list of people who could command big paydays.
Alec Pierce outpaced Michael Pittman Jr.’s 784 yards for the season and was effectively the Colts’ number one receiver for portions of the year. But there is a chance that Pierce will look to capitalize on his career year and go to a destination where he will be paid and treated as the team’s true number one option.
The Colts will need to assess how they want to proceed moving forward, as NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Chris Ballard will remain as the team’s general manager next season.
It remains to be seen if Pierce’s year was just a glimpse of things to come for Indy or an audition for someone else.
Colts Wide Receiver Addresses Controversial Ejection