Just two years ago, it felt like the San Francisco 49ers were set at wide receiver for the foreseeable future with Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel locked into long-term contracts.
Well, the foreseeable future has already passed, and now it seems the 49ers are due for a hard reset at the position. Jauan Jennings, Kendrick Bourne, and Skyy Moore are hitting free agency, leaving Ricky Pearsall and Demarcus Robinson as the only two receivers left on the roster who had meaningful targets in 2025.
The good
news for the 49ers is that there will be plenty of ways to improve the receiving corps this offseason, whether it be via free agency, trade, or the draft.
One of the most popular targets floating out there is Colts’ receiver Alec Pierce. When Indianapolis considered trading Pierce before the 2025 season, the 49ers were rumored to be interested. Now, they’ll get their chance to pursue the free agent.
There’s plenty to like about Pierce from the 49ers’ standpoint, but his big-play ability is what will draw San Francisco to the soon-to-be 26-year-old receiver. Pierce has led the league in yards per reception in each of the last two seasons, averaging 22.3 yards per catch in 2024 and 21.3 in 2025. Only three times in franchise history has a receiver averaged more than 20 yards per reception with more than 35 receptions:
- 1970 Gene Washington: 20.8 yards per reception on 53 catches
- 1988 Jerry Rice: 20.4 yards per reception on 64 catches
- 1972 Gene Washington: 20.0 yards per reception on 46 catches.
In context, compared to the 2025 49ers, Pierce finished with 1,005 yards on just 47 receptions last season. Both George Kittle and Jauan Jennings finished with more receptions than Pierce (Kittle with 57, Jennings with 55), but neither could crack the 650-yard plateau. Even further, the 49ers could have used Pierce’s big-play ability, with explosiveness in the passing game lacking last season. A quick look at the number of big passing plays for the 49ers compared to Pierce:
- Pass plays of 20 or more yards: 49ers 51, Pierce 17
- Pass plays of 30 or more yards: 49ers 15, Pierce 9
- Pass plays of 40 or more yards: Pierce 5, 49ers 4
San Francisco could have used Pierce’s vertical ability in 2025.
While it all sounds like a slam dunk, there are a few concerns with Pierce, specifically the price relative to usage. Spotrac lists Pierce’s average annual value at $20.2 million. If he does get that, it would place him as the 23rd highest-paid receiver in the league. The 49ers just got burned by back-to-back $20 million AAV deals with Deebo Samuel traded last season and Brandon Aiyuk going AWOL, so it would make sense if the 49ers are hesitant to dole out another big deal to a receiver so quickly.
Not only that, but it could also be tough to justify a top-25 contract at the position to somebody who has never been a top-two receiver within his own offense. While he led the league in yards per reception in 2024, Pierce was out-targeted by Michael Pittman and Joshua Downs by a hefty amount. In 2025, Pierce was rewarded for that high yards per reception average by falling to fourth in the Colts in targets, with rookie Tyler Warren leading the way in front of Pittman, Downs, and finally Pierce.
Just because the 49ers have a glaring need at a position doesn’t mean they have to overpay. And while the numbers look good for Pierce, the price might be too steep for a team that needs a difference maker at the position. The 49ers need somebody they know can handle the workload of a No. 1 receiver, and Pierce doesn’t have that in his background. It might be smart for San Francisco to consider other options besides Pierce to address its wide receiver problem.
