NFL Insiders Predict Colts' Alec Pierce Will Get 'Big Number' in 2025 FA Contract

Daniel Jones' resurgence with the Indianapolis Colts could lead to a significant raise for wideout Alec Pierce.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday that teams he has spoken with "anticipate 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," Fowler wrote. "Pierce is poised for his first 1,000-yard season and has the size/speed quotient teams covet."

Pierce, who is currently in the final season of his rookie contract, suffered a concussion in Week 3 that sidelined him for Weeks 4 and 5.

Despite that missed time, he sits just shy of Tyler Warren for the team receiving lead with 585 receiving yards on 28 catches.

He has also maintained his reputation as one of the game's top vertical threats, leading the NFL in yards per catch (20.9) for a second straight season heading into Week 11.

Pierce hasn't only been used for deep passes this season. Colts quarterback Shane Steichen told reporters after last Sunday's Week 10 overtime win against the Atlanta Falcons that Pierce's "intermediate game is making big strides."

"He's able to do a lot for us offensively, moving him around, trying to get certain matchups," Steichen said Monday. "His route-running ability, coming in and out of the breaks, has been huge for us. He's made huge strides in that. His catch radius has been strong."

Whether Pierce returns to Indianapolis for a fifth season could depend both on how high he is able to raise his free agency price over the final stretch of the season, and whether the Colts bring Jones back for 2026.

The Colts traded two first-round picks in order to acquire cornerback Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets in a deadline move that seemingly signaled the franchise doesn't feel the need to stock up on high picks to draft a starting quarterback in the near future.

ESPN's Stephen Holder reported Monday that the Colts "had internally decided long ago that re-signing Pierce after this season was not financially prudent," and that the franchise saw Adonai Mitchell "as his replacement."

Mitchell is now gone, however, after the Colts agreed to include him in the trade package for Gardner. Holder wrote this was at least in part because "the thinking on Pierce has shifted, according to sources, and the idea of him returning is now very real."

If the Colts decide to prioritize bringing back both Jones and his top wide receiver next season, there's a chance Pierce won't hit free agency. If he does, however, his expanding role in the Indianapolis offense will make him a potential target for teams in need of wide receiving help next spring.