The Indianapolis Colts have a crowded wide receiver room, and the folks at Pro Football Focus believe they could trade wide receiver Alec Pierce in the coming weeks. A second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati product has established himself as a reliable deep threat and is coming off the best season of his career. Appearing in 16 games while making 13 starts, the veteran finished 2024 with 37 receptions for 824 yards and seven touchdowns while leading the league with 22.3 yards per reception.
While he may not be the most well-rounded player, someone like Alec Pierce could fetch a decent return in a trade. Recently, PFF’s Mason Cameron suggested a reunion with Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco, as the organization needs another receiver to pair with Pro Bowler Jerry Jeudy.
“One [trade] option could be Alec Pierce, who played with Joe Flacco in Indianapolis last season, where he earned a 73.3 PFF receiving grade while catching passes from the veteran.”
Browns, Colts Connected In Alec Pierce Trade Rumors
The Cleveland Browns offense will probably be hard to watch in 2025. With Deshaun Watson sidelined for the season, the team is placing its faith in the underwhelming quartet of Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders. Nobody knows who will start, but whoever ends up under center will probably not be an exciting option. Cleveland must do something to improve their ability to move the ball through the air, and an Alec Pierce trade might be their best option at this point in the offseason.
Jerry Jeudy had a great first season in Cleveland, but a sizable portion of his production came from the aggressive Jameis Winston chucking the ball downfield. Winston has a history of artificially inflating the numbers of his wide receivers, so Jeudy probably doesn’t have another 1,100-yard season in him. Outside of the former first-round pick, Cleveland’s best weapon is the recently signed Diontae Johnson, a talented wide receiver coming off a disastrous season. Alec Pierce could provide some much-needed stability to this depth chart, but would the Colts consider a trade?
Could A Deal Get Done?
The Colts probably aren’t actively looking to trade Alec Pierce, but they should be willing to listen to offers. Indianapolis has one of the league’s deeper wide receiver rooms, as Michael Pittman and Josh Downs are both proven options while 2024 second-round pick Adonai Mitchell holds plenty of untapped potential. Pierce is a starting-caliber receiver, but moving him for a draft pick could give Mitchell more opportunities to prove himself in an increased role.
Additionally, Pierce will be a free agent following the 2025 season, and the Colts might prefer a draft pick to one year of his services. Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones are set to battle for the starting quarterback job, which means this team won’t compete for anything meaningful in the upcoming season. Ultimately, one year of Pierce won’t mean much compared to the potential value of a draft pick – especially if the Colts could eventually use that selection to trade up and select their next potential franchise quarterback.
Main Photo: Christine Tannous – Imagn Images
The post PFF Proposes Blockbuster Colts, Browns Trade appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football.