The Athletic’s James Boyd and Dianna Russini believe “it would not be surprising” if Alec Pierce waits to sign until “all interested suitors can make their pitches.”

03 March 2026

The Colts are very motivated to get Pierce’s contract done before free agency opens, but transition tagging Daniel Jones doesn’t actually guarantee Jones will be on the roster next year — something that Pierce has been rumored to definitively want. It’s also possible that Pierce could simply get way, way more in free agency than the Colts are willing to offer. It would not be surprising if Pierce did better than the $27.3 million franchise tag number for wideouts on the market, per Boyd and Russini.