INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Colts receiver Alec Pierce is staying right where he said he wanted to be all along while teammate Michael Pittman Jr. is heading out of town.
In a whirlwind few hours Monday, the Colts revamped their receiving group by keeping Pierce off the free-agent market then dealing their longtime No. 1 receiver, Pittman, to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a late-round draft pick. The Pittman deal clears nearly $24 million in salary
cap space to help Indy get under the salary cap.
Pierce announced his decision on “The Pat McAfee Show.” A person with knowledge of the deal confirmed to The Associated Press that it was a four-year contract worth $116 million. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because terms had not yet been released.
“I knew where my heart was. I loved the city of Indianapolis,” Pierce said on the radio show, noting there were plenty of offers coming from other teams. “I just seen where we were at last year, early in the year, kind of rolling. I truly believe we were the No. 1 team in the NFL and just obviously didn’t finish out the season like we should have. But I think we get back to where we were.”
Colts general manager Chris Ballard made it clear in January and again at the recent NFL combine he wanted to re-sign both Pierce and quarterback Daniel Jones.
Pierce was expected to be one of the top receivers on the market this season after leading all NFL qualifying receivers in yards per catch each of the past two seasons.
His future with the team also seemed murky when the Colts used the transition tag on Jones last week, a move some thought created the possibility Pierce would hit the open market.
But Ballard continued to believe he could work something out.
“I’ve had great discussions about both of them. We’ll continue to work this week and see if we can get something done,” Ballard said when asked about deals for Jones and Pierce during the combine. “It’s been very positive. Look, when both sides are driven to get it done, it usually works out the right way."
Now, two days before Pierce could have headed elsewhere, the Colts reached an agreement on a deal.
Pierce, a second-round draft pick out of Cincinnati in 2022, produced the best numbers of his career in 2025. He hauled in 47 of 84 targets for 1,003 yards, all career highs, while catching six TD passes and averaging 21.3 yards per catch.
And he developed a strong rapport with Jones on and off the field, a relationship that appeared to help Pierce make his decision. Pierce also may have had another reason to stay in Indy — his younger brother, Caden, will transfer to Purdue next season to play basketball.
The 6-foot-7 Caden Pierce was part of Princeton’s Sweet 16 team in 2022-23 when he was chosen as the Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Alec Pierce and his parents made the trip to Louisville that year to watch his brother in the NCAA Tournament regional semifinal. Caden Pierce also was the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2023-24, but did not play this season.
Still, the biggest attraction for Pierce's return was the opportunity to play a key role again on an offense that was one of the most productive through the first 10 games in 2025 — before Jones suffered a hairline fracture of a bone in his left leg.
Jones' season ended in December when he also suffered a torn right Achilles tendon, an injury the Colts are hoping he can return from by training camp.
The next order of business for the Colts is getting Jones signed. But because it's unclear when Jones may be ready to play, it has complicated negotiations.
But Ballard has been busy elsewhere, too. On Saturday, he traded Pro Bowl linebacker Zaire Franklin to Green Bay for defensive tackle Colby Wooden and the Colts announced Monday they'd also re-signed kicker Blake Grupe, who made all 11 of his field-goal attempts and all of 10 of his extra points over Indy's final five games.
Pittman, a second-round pick in 2020 from Southern California, was one of the Colts' toughest players. He was unafraid to make contested catches over the middle, often bouncing up from big hits. He topped the 1,000-yard mark in 2021 and 2023 though injuries impacted his productivity over the past two seasons.
A back injury limited him to just 69 receptions, 808 yards and three TDs in 2024. He rebounded in 2025 with 80 catches for 784 yards and a career-best seven TDs in 2025, but averaged just 9.8 yards per catch.
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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.
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