Alec Pierce landing spots: 5 teams that can steal breakout WR from the Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are using the transition tag on quarterback Daniel Jones, which means they aren't tagging wide receiver Alec Pierce, who is now set to be perhaps the best wide receiver in NFL free agency this offseason. Pierce might not have that sort of name-brand cachet, but he posted a 1,000-yard season while averaging over 20 yards per catch in 2025, and that sort of deep ability is like oxygen for any offense.

While the Colts could still work out a deal to bring Pierce back, this opens up the possibility that he hits the open market, where he may command big money after leading the NFL in yards per reception in both 2024 and 2025.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders are set to use the No. 1 overall pick on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The situation around Mendoza isn't completely hopeless, as the team has young talents like Brock Bowers, Ashton Jeanty and Tre Tucker, but Vegas could really use one more weapon on the outside to help ease Mendoza's transition to the NFL.

The big question about Pierce this offseason will be if he can be more than a big-play merchant, a question that honestly won't be answered until we see him out on the field with his new team. Vegas is a team that might be okay if the answer turns out to be "no," though, because Bowers is such a mismatch in the short and intermediate game that Pierce won't have to shoulder the duties of a true No. 1.

But if Pierce does prove to be that alpha, Mendoza will step into a situation that looks a lot closer to the one Caleb Williams inherited after the Bears drafted him No. 1 overall than the one Cam Ward inherited last season with the Titans, which would be huge for his development.

New York Jets

The New York Jets don't have a quarterback. That's obviously an issue that could deter Pierce from signing with the team, but the Jets also have the fourth-most cap space in the NFL at the moment, so they might be willing to pay Pierce enough for him to ignore the fact that he'd have no idea who will be throwing him the football.

An offense anchored by Pierce and Garrett Wilson plus running back Breece Hall, whom the team tagged before Tuesday's deadline, is an offense that can do some damage if it figures out the quarterback situation. 2026 might proved to be a bit of a wasted year barring a splash signing of someone like Malik Willis, but the Jets could easily target a quarterback near the top of a loaded 2027 NFL Draft class — and that guy would be able to step directly into a friendly situation.

This move is playing the long game a bit. The issue is that this is also the Jets, so signing Pierce might be accompanied by a Kyler Murray signing, which would kind of defeat the purpose given how much Pierce thrives on the deep ball. We've only really seen Murray thrive in the Kliff Kingsbury system, so that doesn't seem like the best fit.

Washington Commanders

Speaking of Kingsbury: The Washington Commanders looked set to be the next big thing in the NFL after Jayden Daniels' rookie season, but injuries and a sagging supporting cast torpedoed those dreams in 2025. Can a healthy Daniels get the Commanders back to the postseason in 2026? Sure, and adding another weapon for him would go a long way toward making that a reality.

The Daniels to Pierce connection would feed Commanders fans for years, and he'd make a lot more sense than the guy he'd likely be replacing in Deebo Samuel. The Samuel move felt like a weird one at the time it happened; I just didn't see the vision for how he fit in that offense. Samuel actually proved to be solid enough, but he also had the lowest yards per reception of his career and wasn't the all-around difference-maker we'd seen in the past.

With Daniels back, the Commanders need a player who can stretch the field in ways Samuel doesn't really do. Pierce can be that guy, and then the team can figure out what to do about the slot later on.

Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans have the most cap space in the NFL and desperately need weapons for second-year quarterback Cam Ward, who showed signs that he could be a very good NFL quarterback as a rookie but also routinely fell victim to a major issue: a lack of talent around him.

With Calvin Ridley sidelined for much of last season, a pair of Day 3 rookies were Ward's top wide receivers. Credit to Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor for how well they did in that situation, but the Titans can't go into 2026 without making a significant move at the position.

Pierce is risky, because yeah — we don't know how multi-dimensional he really is. But the Titans have to do whatever they can to improve at wideout if they expect Ward to actually develop into a franchise quarterback.

Kansas City Chiefs

This is probably just a pipe dream for Kansas City Chiefs fans because of how big Pierce's projected salary will be, but he perfectly fits what K.C. needs, so if there's any way to make this work, it's worth entertaining the option.

(Note: Between starting and finishing this piece, the Chiefs traded away cornerback Trent McDuffie without taking on additional salary, so the financials might work a lot better now than they did an hour ago.)

Patrick Mahomes was at his best when he was able to push the ball down the field. Defenses employing more two-high safeties kept that in check, but not having an elite deep threat anymore was also an issue. Pierce's track record with the Colts suggests that he's good enough down the field to beat most defensive looks, which opens up a world of possibilities for Kansas City.

Plus, if you can make the money work, this makes WAY more sense than re-signing Tyreek Hill, and Pierce is a better bet as a deep threat than someone like Rashid Shaheed even if the latter would be cheaper. With the money saved via the McDuffie trade, Kansas City can revamp its receiver room, potentially signing Pierce then drafting a guy at the end of the first round.