NFL insider shares update on where things stand between the Colts, Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce ahead of free agency
Some more information on the Colts’ plans for their top in-house free agents has just been revealed.
The Indianapolis Colts’ top in-house free-agent priorities are pretty clearly quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce.
Retaining both is pivotal if the team is going to repeat the incredible success they experienced through the first half of the 2025 season. The plan seems to be for the Colts to get deals done with both players before free agency arrives, to prevent either player from hitting the market.
ESPN insider Jermey Fowler recently shared insights into top storylines around the NFL ahead of the offseason. This included him linking the Colts to a top free agent and providing an update on where things stand with free agents Jones and Pierce.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler shares where things stand between the Colts and top in-house free agents Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce
“Speaking of the Colts, my sense is their priority will be Daniel Jones, followed by receiver Alec Pierce as a 1B option. The Colts should turn up the heat on Jones closer to the combine. Though the franchise and transition tags for wide receivers are steep — $25 million to $28 million based on projections — the Colts tagged Michael Pittman Jr. two years ago as a way to facilitate a long-term deal. I’m not taking it totally off the table for Pierce for that reason.” – ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler
It’s interesting to hear Fowler not make Jones or Pierce the top priority for the Colts, but instead shares that he views them as 1a and 1b for the Colts. Jones being the QB giving him the 1a spot, but all signs continue to point towards the duo being a package deal for the Colts.
Another key element of Fowler’s information is that he mentions the franchise tag as a possibility for Pierce but not Jones. That tells me a deal for Jones gets done fairly quickly, which would give the Colts the flexibility to use the tag if needed to keep Pierce from hitting the market.
The Colts haven’t used the franchise tag much over the years, but when necessary, they’ve shown a willingness to use it. Most recently, they tagged Michael Pittman Jr., and the team used it to extend their negotiating timeline. If it comes to that with Pierce, I’d expect the team to take a similar approach.
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