Should Colts reward Alec Pierce's breakout season with a contract extension?

Alec Pierce needed to talk.

When the Indianapolis Colts selected AD Mitchell in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, two years after picking Pierce in the same round at the same position, Pierce wanted some clarity from the organization. So, shortly after Mitchell became the most notable addition to the Colts’ wide receiver room, Pierce found himself in another room: Chris Ballard’s office. The Indianapolis GM has always maintained an open-door policy, encouraging his players to treat their relationship as a two-way street of dialogue and insight. Pierce took him up on his offer after Mitchell’s arrival.

“Chris, what does this mean for me?” Pierce asked.

“Nothing,” Ballard responded. “Compete.”

That’s all Pierce needed to hear.

“Competition’s kind of been my whole (journey),” Pierce would later say.

As Pierce walked out of Ballard’s office that day, he felt a sense of peace amid an uncertain future. Perhaps because he’d been in that position before, with his talent being challenged and a chance to prove himself. It happened in high school, where he was a late bloomer and didn’t become a coveted Division I prospect until his senior year. It happened again at Cincinnati, where his coaches flirted with the idea of putting him at linebacker before he ultimately stuck with receiver and became one of the best in the country. And it was happening again in the NFL, where the Colts’ selection of Mitchell raised questions about Pierce’s role within the offense.

Pierce answered all of them in resounding, almost defiant, fashion.

“It definitely motived me,” Pierce said at the end of the season. ” … It just brought in a whole extra level of comfort. Just knowing that, ‘OK, everything (has to be) on point because I got somebody right here on my heels trying to take my spot.’”

The 24-year-old never let that happen, turning in his best NFL campaign while Mitchell struggled to adjust to the pro ranks. Pierce finished the season with 37 catches for career highs of 824 yards and seven TDs, which also paced the team. His 22.3 yards per catch were by far the most in the league in 2024, with Detroit’s Jameson Williams coming in second (17.3), and were the most in a single season since three-time Pro Bowler DeSean Jackson averaged 22.5 yards per reception with the Eagles in 2010.

The best part of Pierce’s emergence, Ballard noted, was that Pierce didn’t “b—- and complain.” He simply went to work.

And it’s because of that no-nonsense approach and breakout production that it would be wise for Ballard to offer Pierce a contract extension this offseason. Through Pierce’s first three seasons, he’s totaled 110 catches for 1,931 yards and 11 TDs with only nine drops (three each season), despite playing with seven different starting QBs during that span. Obviously, Pierce’s bread and butter is the deep ball, having run the ninth-most go routes since entering the NFL in 2022, according to TruMedia, but he’s also shown he’s a willing and capable blocker. With all of that in mind, it’s reasonable to suggest that another strong year in 2025 before entering unrestricted free agency in 2026, would raise Pierce’s price tag a lot, especially when factoring in teams that have had more reliable QB play than Indianapolis.

If the Colts prioritize getting a deal done sooner rather than later, Pierce could fall in the same tier as Atlanta’s Darnell Mooney and Jacksonville’s Gabe Davis, each of whom recently inked three-year deals with an average annual value of $13 million.

(Note: The numbers for Mooney and Davis don’t include their fourth seasons. The chart shows how each WR produced through their first three years.)

Ballard has typically rewarded his homegrown players with contract extensions before they enter free agency, highlighted by running back Jonathan Taylor and linebacker Zaire Franklin in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Pierce could be the next in line in after drawing high praise from his GM.

“He competed, and he is freaking good,” Ballard said in his year-end news conference. “He’s exactly who we thought he was going to be. I think there’s more in there. I do. Alec Pierce is an excellent, excellent football player.”

Pierce’s play has also garnered his teammates’ respect, even on the opposite side of the ball. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner commended Pierce for how he responded to the Colts drafting Mitchell, although Pierce’s triumphant campaign still failed to reach Buckner’s lofty personal goal for him.

“I told A.P., ‘I’ll buy you an A.P. if you get 1,000 yards this season,’” Buckner said, grinning as he referenced the luxury watch brand, Audemars Piguet. “He was a little short of that.”

Alec Pierce on the #Colts drafting AD Mitchell:

“Definitely motivated me …”

“Like, ‘OK, everything I gotta be on is on point because I got somebody right here on my heels trying to take my spot.’ I think it just brought that comfort because the same thing happened in college.” pic.twitter.com/TRhNkIl0Yj

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) January 9, 2025

As a gracious and generous teammate, Buckner is happy to keep his offer on the table for Pierce’s fourth NFL season. But on a more serious note, the Colts team captain insisted that Pierce’s situation is exactly what Indianapolis needs more of: competition.

It brought the best out of Pierce in 2024, and it’ll be Ballard’s responsibility to cultivate more competition throughout the entire roster as they try to end a four-year playoff drought in 2025.

(Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)