Backup plans for Patriots, 49ers and NFL teams that couldn't afford Alec Pierce

The Indianapolis Colts went above and beyond to retain star wideout Alec Pierce on a four-year, $116 million deal — making him the highest-paid free agent wideout in NFL history. And just like that, a wide receiver class that was already thin on impact talent just became a frantic game of musical chairs.

With Pierce coming off the market without ever really stepping foot in it, several WR-needy teams are going to have to pivot to other options. The Pittsburgh Steelers wasted no time removing themselves from that list by, ironically enough, trading for Colts WR2 Michael Pittman in a deal that involves a late-round draft pick swap, taking advantage of Indy's newfound cap crunch to find an ideal possession guy opposite DK Metcalf.

But others, like the New England Patriots, Washington Commanders, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, aren't so lucky. There's plenty of cap space to go around, but precious few known commodities at wideout to spend it on. Let's evaluate which free agents should be these teams' next phone calls.

Washington Commanders: Rashid Shaheed

The speedy 27-year-old is projected to fetch north of $14 million on the open market, and for good reason: He was traded to the Seattle Seahawks from the New Orleans Saints as an apparent rental in their Super Bowl chase and made one big play after another.

Shaheed put up 687 receiving yards and only found the end zone twice in 2025, which doesn't appear all that impressive. But his return skills consistently flipped the field, and his speed and agility forced defenses to commit more than one defender to him at times — which allowed Jaxon Smith-Njigba to bust loose on multiple occasions.

Shaheed would bring the exact same benefit to an offense like Washington's, which already has Terry McLaurin at the top of the depth chart but figures to lose Deebo Samuel in free agency.

Kansas City Chiefs: Mike Evans

Kansas City's WR corps was simply too small in 2025, over-indexed on the sort of speed that used to allow Patrick Mahomes to shred secondaries a few years ago. Some more physicality and ball skills on the outside is desperately needed, and while Evans isn't a spring chicken anymore, he's still a handful for cornerbacks to deal with.

It's unclear whether he's willing to leave the Bucs, and for what price. But if he's ever going to play for another team, my guess is that it would be for the opportunity to play with a quarterback like Mahomes. He's exactly what the Chiefs need if they won't have access to a top receiver in this year's draft at pick No. 9.

New England Patriots: Wan'Dale Robinson

The Giants' 2025 record suggests that they were a bad team. While that's certainly true, they still had a lot of really good players. Robinson was one of those bright spots, assuming the WR1 role when Malik Nabers went down with a season-ending injury.

The 25-year-old responded with a breakout year, racking up 1,014 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 92 receptions. He appears to be the player with the most upside left on the market, and he comes with a more affordable price tag at $15-18 million.

The Patriots could use his talents, considering Stefon Diggs is set to be released and the next-best option for Drake Maye is currently Kayshon Boutte.

San Francisco 49ers: Romeo Doubs

The Packers famously operated by committee at wideout, but Doubs clearly emerged as the best of the bunch. He tallied 724 yards and six touchdowns, both of which led the team, and those numbers were dampened by an injury to Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur's penchant for spreading the ball around. He's expected to make $12 million wherever he ends up, but there would be a risk of whether he can be a 1,000-yard top talent.

Doubs may be better suited for teams like the San Francisco 49ers, who were reportedly interested in Pierce before he returned to Indy. He'd be able to make WR1 money (or close to it) but still fit in schemes that don't necessarily rely on him being an all-out star.