After releasing Stefon Diggs, the New England Patriots‘ search for a wide receiver just became even more important.
And there’s one elite target who will be testing free agency.
The Indianapolis Colts ultimately placed the transition tag on quarterback Daniel Jones despite speculation that they were leaning towards locking up Pierce. But now, he will head into free agency and is expected to be the top wide receiver available.
Pierce is an elite deep threat, and Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has arguably the best deep ball in the NFL. So, it’s a match made in heaven.
But there is one more thing that could put the Patriots ahead of the free agency competition to sign Pierce.
Patriots Like To Sign Players That Have Connections To The Coaching Staff
Getty Alec Pierce of the Indianapolis Colts
When Mike Vrabel was hired, he made a lot of changes to the Patriots roster, but put an emphasis on the players he signed during free agency.
“Last year, like 80 to 90% of the guys they signed had connections to the coaching staff,” NFL Insider Albert Breer said during an appeared on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
And that directly connects to Pierce for a very specific reason.
“Do you know who Alec Pierce’s college coach was?” Breer asked before providing the answer. “Mike Vrabel’s best friend in the world, Luke Fickell.”
“Luke Fickell and Mike Vrabel played together at Ohio State. They are the best of friends,” he added. “If you go back and you look at some of the things that Luke Fickell said about Alec Pierce when he was at the University of Cincinnati, you’ll see what a valuable piece Pierce was there and how Luke Fickell would constantly say, ‘Alec Pierce’s best football is ahead of him.'”
During the 2025 season, Pierce had 47 receptions for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns, having led the NFL in yards per reception in back-to-back seasons. Considering Drake Maye’s abilities combined with Josh McDaniels elite play calling, New England should be considered a top landing spot.
What’s The Latest On The Patriots-A.J Brown Rumors
GettyA.J. Brown
Along with Pierce, the Patriots have also been rumored to have interest in Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown. But in this case, the Patriots would have to trade for him.
On Friday, Philadelphia sports radio commentator Anthony Gargan said that the Patriots offered a first-round and a third-round draft pick for the receiver, but the Eagles declined it. However, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, fired back saying that, “while teams have been internally discussing potential trade packages for A.J. Brown, no team has made an official offer to the Eagles.”
And with that, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said in a recent video that, “it certainly seems like it’s going to be the Patriots or the Eagles for A.J. Brown with an answer likely coming pretty soon.”
Another potential option for the Patriots was Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore; however, the Buffalo Bills swooped in and traded for the veteran. Specifically, the Bills sent a 2026 second-round draft pick to Chicago in exchange for Moore and a 2026 fifth-round selection.
Patriots Have One Key Advantage in Alec Pierce Pursuit