Indianapolis, IN — The Indianapolis Colts establish their wide receiver room moving forward after trading longtime wideout Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to NFL Insider Tom Pelissero.
The compensation includes a late-round pick swap, as this move more so points to Indy’s lack of cap space to include Pittman Jr. in their future. After signing Alec Pierce to a historic 4-year deal that makes him the 9th-highest paid receiver ($29.5m/year) at the start of the legal tampering
period, the Colts had to take a big swing elsewhere, as Michael Pittman Jr. had the 5th-highest cap hit ($29m) for this upcoming season.
Trading Pittman Jr. frees up $24m in cap space for the Indianapolis Colts, while the Steelers subsequently extended him to a three-year, $59m deal.
Michael Pittman Jr. has been the Colts’ de facto WR1 since joining the league in 2020 as a second-round draft selection, but Pierce’s emergence ultimately made the organization choose between the two. In six seasons with the Colts, Pittman Jr. totaled 5,254 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns on 485 receptions. He ends his tenure in Indianapolis as one of the more accomplished wideouts in franchise history (i.e., 5th in receptions, 8th in receiving yards, and 13th in receiving touchdowns).
There was simply no avenue for the Colts to move forward with both Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce, even at Pittman Jr.’s slightly cheaper annual salary via his extension. Indy decided to bet on the younger, more explosive option who still has room to grow. Regardless, Pittman Jr. was a fantastic personality to cover during his time in Indianapolis, who will surely be missed. His toughness, resilience, and leadership were the ultimate examples of why he made such a great team captain.
