Alec Pierce Injury Update Provided by Colts WR, Latest Timeline for Return Ahead of Training Camp

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce won't be on the field anytime soon.

Pierce confirmed Wednesday he isn't expecting to practice until the latter stages of training camp thanks to his offseason ankle surgery.

"I think obviously we want the (return) date to be as early as possible, but you kind of got to let your body guide itself and see how you feel," he told reporters.

Pierce caught 47 passes for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns in 2025, leading the NFL in yards per reception for the second straight year.

The Colts rewarded him with a four-year, $114 million contract. This isn't how he and the team will have wanted to kick off the new deal.

But surgery became the only course of action after platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment didn't heal an issue that has dogged Pierce dating back to 2024 and into last year.

"It definitely got a little bit worse as the season went," he said. "Probably the last month I'd say I was kind of struggling — (it) affected practice, I'd taken some days off. I'm glad they figured out what the issue was and we were able to fix it."

Considering Pierce eclipsed 1,000 yards while not 100 percent healthy, he could be headed for an even bigger year in 2026 now that his ankle problems should be resolved.

As long as Pierce can hit the more optimistic end of his return timeline, the Colts shouldn't be sweating the situation too much.

But he became even more of a load-bearing part of the passing game when Indy traded Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Quarterback Daniel Jones is also working his way back from a torn Achilles.

The fact Pierce's status for Week 1 is up in the air is less than ideal.