INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Colts receiver Alec Pierce is staying right where he said he wanted to be all along while teammate Michael Pittman Jr. is heading out of town.
In a whirlwind few hours Monday, the Colts revamped their receiving group by keeping Pierce off the free-agent market then dealing their longtime No. 1 receiver, Pittman, to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a late-round draft pick. The Pittman deal clears nearly $24 million in salary cap space to help Indy get under the salary cap.
Pierce announced his decision on “The Pat McAfee Show.” A person with knowledge of the deal confirmed to The Associated Press that it was a four-year contract worth $116 million. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because terms had not yet been released.
“I knew where my heart was. I loved the city of Indianapolis,” Pierce said on the radio show, noting there were plenty of offers coming from other teams. “I just seen where we were at last year, early in the year, kind of rolling. I truly believe we were the No. 1 team in the NFL and just obviously didn’t finish out the season like we should have. But I think we get back to where we were.”
Colts general manager Chris Ballard made it clear in January and again at the recent NFL combine he wanted to re-sign both Pierce and quarterback Daniel Jones.
Pierce was expected to be one of the top receivers on the market this season after leading all NFL qualifying receivers in yards per catch each of the past two seasons.
His future with the team also seemed murky when the Colts used the transition tag on Jones last week, a move some thought created the possibility Pierce would hit the open market.
But Ballard continued to believe he could work something out.
“I’ve had great discussions about both of them. We’ll continue to work this week and see if we can get something done,” Ballard said when asked about deals for Jones and Pierce during the combine. “It’s been very positive. Look, when both sides are driven to get it done, it usually works out the right way."
Now, two days before Pierce could have headed elsewhere, the Colts reached an agreement on a deal.
Pierce, a second-round draft pick out of Cincinnati in 2022, produced the best numbers of his career in 2025. He hauled in 47 of 84 targets for 1,003 yards, all career highs, while catching six TD passes and averaging 21.3 yards per catch.
And he developed a strong rapport with Jones on and off the field, a relationship that appeared to help Pierce make his decision. Pierce also may have had another reason to stay in Indy — his younger brother, Caden, will transfer to Purdue next season to play basketball.
The 6-foot-7 Caden Pierce was part of Princeton’s Sweet 16 team in 2022-23 when he was chosen as the Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Alec Pierce and his parents made the trip to Louisville that year to watch his brother in the NCAA Tournament regional semifinal. Caden Pierce also was the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2023-24, but did not play this season.
Still, the biggest attraction for Pierce's return was the opportunity to play a key role again on an offense that was one of the most productive through the first 10 games in 2025 — before Jones suffered a hairline fracture of a bone in his left leg.
Jones' season ended in December when he also suffered a torn right Achilles tendon, an injury the Colts are hoping he can return from by training camp.
The next order of business for the Colts is getting Jones signed. But because it's unclear when Jones may be ready to play, it has complicated negotiations.
But Ballard has been busy elsewhere, too. On Saturday, he traded Pro Bowl linebacker Zaire Franklin to Green Bay for defensive tackle Colby Wooden and the Colts announced Monday they'd also re-signed kicker Blake Grupe, who made all 11 of his field-goal attempts and all of 10 of his extra points over Indy's final five games.
Pittman, a second-round pick in 2020 from Southern California, was one of the Colts' toughest players. He was unafraid to make contested catches over the middle, often bouncing up from big hits. He topped the 1,000-yard mark in 2021 and 2023 though injuries impacted his productivity over the past two seasons.
A back injury limited him to just 69 receptions, 808 yards and three TDs in 2024. He rebounded in 2025 with 80 catches for 784 yards and a career-best seven TDs in 2025, but averaged just 9.8 yards per catch.
AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.
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FILE - Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce runs a route during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Jan. 4, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Maria Lysaker)
Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III is the new running back for Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, Miami settled on Malik Willis for a reset at quarterback and receiver Mike Evans is leaving Tampa Bay after 12 years.
People with knowledge of the agreements told The Associated Press on Monday, the opening day of NFL free agency, that Walker was leaving Seattle after winning a championship and the Dolphins reached a deal with Willis after announcing earlier in the day that they were releasing Tua Tagovailoa.
The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because contracts can't be signed until Wednesday, the first day of the new league year.
The negotiating window opened with a flurry of significant deals, including Indianapolis keeping its top free agent in receiver Alex Pierce.
Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and the Carolina Panthers agreed on a four-year, $120 million contract with $80 million guaranteed. Philadelphia was hoping to retain Phillips after trading a third-round pick for him at the trade deadline last season. Phillips had five sacks combined for Miami and the Eagles.
The Dallas Cowboys added edge rusher Rashan Gary in a trade with Green Bay for a 2027 fourth-round pick. The Packers acquired star Micah Parsons from the Cowboys a week before the season started last year. Gary was the 12th overall pick in the draft in 2019, two years before Dallas drafted Parsons in the same spot.
Walker and the Chiefs agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $45 million, with $28.7 million guaranteed. The 25-year-old fills perhaps the biggest need as the Chiefs try to bounce back from a 6-11 season. Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, their top two running backs, are both free agents.
The deal came as Kansas City was nearing an agreement to bring back four-time All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce for his 14th season.
Walker is the fourth Super Bowl MVP to change teams the following season: Larry Brown went from the Cowboys to the Raiders in 1996, Desmond Howard from the Packers to the Raiders in 1997 and Dexter Jackson from Tampa Bay to Arizona in 2003.
The Dolphins reached an agreement with Willis a few hours after dumping Tagovailoa and incurring a record $99 million hit on their salary cap. Willis will reunite with general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and first-year coach Jeff Hafley. They were together in Green Bay, where Willis spent the past two seasons.
Miami made another move by agreeing to trade safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets for a seventh-round pick.
The Jets further revamped their defense by agreeing to deals with former Saints linebacker Demario Davis, who will return for a third stint in New York, and former Bengals edge rusher Joseph Ossai.
The 49ers added a proven pass catcher in Evans for quarterback Brock Purdy, agreeing to a three-year contract with a player who had 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first 11 seasons before injuries limited Evans to eight games in 2025.
The 32-year-old gives the Niners a proven receiver with the team planning to release Brandon Aiyuk; they placed him on the reserve/left squad list last season after he stopped showing up to rehabilitate a knee injury that had sidelined him for a year.
The Colts keeping Pierce on a $116 million, four-year deal coincided with them sending Michael Pittman Jr. to Pittsburgh for a late-round draft pick. Pittman spent his first six seasons with Indianapolis.
Tennessee filled a need at receiver by agreeing to terms with Wan’Dale Robinson, who was drafted by the New York Giants when Brian Daboll was a rookie head coach in 2022. Daboll is the Titans' offensive coordinator after getting fired by the Giants last season.
The 25-year-old Robinson became the first player 5-foot-8 or shorter to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving since 5-7 Richard Johnson in 1989 and just the third since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Robinson had 1,014 yards on 92 catches.
The 37-year-old Davis was drafted in the third round by the Jets out of Arkansas State in 2012 and returned in 2017 after a year in Cleveland. He played the last eight seasons for the Saints — including five with current Jets coach Aaron Glenn as the defensive backs coach.
Ossai had five sacks in each of the last two seasons for Cincinnati.
The New York Giants are re-signing tight end Chris Manhertz and running back Devin Singletary, two offensive holdovers for new coach John Harbaugh. The team also re-signed receiver/returner Gunner Olszewski.
The Vikings kept one of their unrestricted free agents off the market by agreeing to terms on a new contract with 10th-year veteran linebacker Eric Wilson, a three-year deal valued at $22.5 million, with $12.5 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network.
Wilson, who returned to his original team last season, had career highs in tackles for loss (17), sacks (6 1/2), quarterback hits (10) and forced fumbles (four).
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
FILE - Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce runs a route during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Jan. 4, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Maria Lysaker)
FILE - Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis speaks during a press conference after an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Dec. 27, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer, File)
FILE - Green Bay Packers defensive end Rashan Gary lines up during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Nov. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/David Dermer, file)
