Alec Pierce won't sign with Patriots in NFL free agency, returning to Colts instead

The New England Patriots won't be turning to Alec Pierce in NFL free agency as they look to add more weapons for quarterback Drake Maye. Instead, the wide receiver has reportedly agreed to a massive deal and will return to the Indianapolis Colts.

The news first broke on The Pat McAfee Show that Pierce, considered the top receiver on the market, is going back to his old team on a 4-year, $116 million deal. As a result, the Patriots will now have to turn their attention elsewhere.

NFL free agency got underway on Monday at noon with the "legal tampering" period. Moves are not allowed to be officially announced until the new league year starts on Wednesday at 4 p.m.  

A major downfield threat, Pierce is 25 years old and has played all four seasons with the Colts since being drafted out of Cincinnati. He will now return to the team that selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, No. 53 overall.

Originally, the expectation was that Pierce would not even reach free agency and would receive the franchise tag from the Colts. But when Indianapolis couldn't reach an agreement with quarterback Daniel Jones, the team was forced to use a transition tag to keep the signal-caller. 

That allowed Pierce to reach the open market, but within minutes of the tampering period getting underway, news broke that he would remain a Colt.

In 2025, Pierce played 15 games. He had 1,003 yards off of 47 catches, averaging 21.3 yards per catch while hauling in six touchdowns.

The Patriots have been rumored to be trying to pry wide receiver A.J. Brown away from the Philadelphia Eagles, but have not yet managed to reach a deal.