The Indianapolis Colts rewarded wide receiver Alec Pierce for his breakout 2025 season (47 catches, 1,003 yards, six touchdowns) with a massive $114 million contract this offseason.
Indianapolis also committed to Pierce as its WR1 when it traded former 1,000-yeard WR Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers before the draft.
And according to ESPN’s Stephen Holder, that may have been a mistake as Pierce could miss significant time in training camp due to a medical procedure he recently had.
“Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce, fresh off his four-year $114 million contract extension, still faces many weeks of recovery from left ankle surgery he underwent in March, he said Wednesday,” Holder wrote.
“The return timeline, which Pierce said can range from four to six months, could keep him out well into training camp and past the preseason. Pierce tried to avoid surgery, but consistent soreness in his ankle last season strongly suggested the issue needed to be addressed, he said.”
Without Pierce in the mix, the Colts wide receiver corps is thin on talent.
Third-year wideout Josh Downs, who caught 58 passes for 566 yards and four touchdowns, is the leader of the group.
Behind Downs, though, is a hodge-podge of youthful and inexperienced pass-catchers including Ashton Duhlin, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Laquon Treadwell, Anthony Gould, and rookie Deion Burks.
Additionally, with quarterback Daniel Jones coming off a season-ending injury, he and Pierce will now miss valuable reps together in camp.
However, as Pierce admitted, his surgery was unavoidable and likely needed to happen as his injury has been bothering him for the better part of two seasons.
“It definitely got a little bit worse as the season went and probably the last month, I’d say I was kind of struggling,” Pierce said. “… Taking some days off [from practice] and stuff. I’m glad they kind of figured out what the issue was.”
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