Grading the trade: Colts move on from Michael Pittman Jr. by sending him to the Steelers after extending Alec Pierce

A look at how the Colts graded out in their choice to trade WR Michael Pittman Jr. to the Steelers.

Destin Adams — NFL News Writer
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Colts wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce
Nov 9, 2025; Berlin, Germany; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) and Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) react against the Atlanta Falcons during the NFL Berlin Game at Olympic Stadium. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts made quite the splash in the news to kick off the NFL’s legal tampering window by extending wide receiver Alec Pierce. And as a result, the team had to make a tough decision about their former WR1 Michael Pittman Jr.

The Colts could not have both Pierce and Pittman Jr. on the roster for 2026 at their current cap hits. This led them to trade Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The details of the trade are not officially out yet, but it has been called a late-round swap. With that in mind, let’s dive into this situation and grade the trade.

Grading the Colts choice to move on from their former second-round pick Michael Pittman Jr.

Grade: B+

Looking at the Steelers’ current draft picks, they do not own a sixth-round pick, which leads me to believe the Colts will end up receiving either the Steelers’ fourth- or fifth-round selection in the 2026 draft in exchange for either a late-rounder this year from Indy or, potentially, a late-rounder in 2027.

The return isn’t substantial by any means, but it is important to note that the end result here was always going to be that Pittman Jr. would not be back next season. This means if a trade didn’t come together, he likely would have been released, and the only thing the Colts would have gotten is cap relief.

Which would still have been a win, to be honest. By moving on from Pittman, the Colts cleared over $20 million in cap space, which is the first of multiple expected cap-creating moves the team plans to make. The Colts have multiple holes on the defensive side of the ball and need significantly more cap space than they currently hold to fill them.

Therefore, I give this deal a B+ right now. If the pick ends up being a fourth, I do think this could be an A for Indy, though. The meat of this class in the 2026 NFL Draft is in the second through fourth rounds, and adding another pick in that range would be a big win.

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