Alec Pierce has given the Indianapolis Colts an almighty scare after general manager Chris Ballard revealed he will miss the team’s offseason workouts after having ankle surgery.
It comes just over a month after the wide receiver signed a mammoth four-year, $116 million to commit his future to the Colts after an impressive season.
Pierce played through pain in his ankle for a large part of last season and was willing to do so again next year.
But the Colts agreed it was sensible for him to have surgery now in the hope he will be fully recovered by the time the NFL returns in September.
Ballard hopes Pierce will take three months to recover, meaning he will miss a large number of offseason practices under head coach Shane Steichen.
‘I knew he was hurting at times last year,’ Ballard said Monday. ‘So, finally, after consulting with multiple doctors and him, he had a cleanup done. We don’t expect any long-term implications here.’
Alec Pierce has had surgery after signing a mammoth four-year, $116million deal with the Colts
Pierce is set to miss three months so he’ll be absent for a large portion of offseason workouts
The Colts need Pierce for the new season after they traded away Michael Pittman Jr.
It will undoubtedly lead to a nervy summer for Ballard and Steichen, though. After trading Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pierce is expected to be their star man on offense and the value of his new contract reflects that.
On March 9, the Colts acted to keep Pierce off the free-agent market by handing him a huge pay day.
They then traded Pittman Jr., their longtime No. 1 receiver, to the Steelers for a late-round draft pick. Pierce announced his decision on ‘The Pat McAfee Show.’
‘I knew where my heart was. I loved the city of Indianapolis,’ Pierce said, 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.’
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.
A second-round draft pick out of Cincinnati in 2022, Pierce 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 touchdown passes and averaging 21.3 yards per catch.
