Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce is set to become a free agent this offseason, and teammate Michael Pittman believes Pierce is on the verge of getting a big payday.
“Alec is worth a lot of money,” Pittman told The Athletic. “So don’t be shocked when you see some crazy stuff. I think he had about 44 receptions — 44 receptions for 1,000 yards. I’ve never seen anything like that before. He can absolutely outrun anybody. He’s got a way of getting behind them when they try to stop him. Like it’s crazy. He’s really paid himself big time.”
advertise
Pierce has led the NFL in yards per catch the past two seasons and last year topped 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.
While Pierce is known as a vertical threat, his role expanded last season and he was asked to attack other levels of the court more often.
Then, in addition to Pierce’s performance, that can help create opportunities for other pass catchers on middle or underneath routes and create space when the defense has to worry about legitimate threats downfield. Even the running game could benefit.
Spotrac expects Pierce to make more than $20 million per year in his next contract.
advertise
Retaining Pierce should be general manager Chris Ballard’s top priority this offseason, and based on what he said during his season-ending press conference, it sounds like it will be.
“We had confidence in Alec Pierce from day one, from the time we trained him at the University of Cincinnati,” Ballard said. “I think he’s been a good player every year…I think Reggie (Wayne) has done a great job of helping him expand his game to all three levels. Alec is the priority.”
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Michael Pittman says free agent Alec Pierce ‘worth a lot of money’
