NFL writer questions interesting claim about Commanders, Colts WR Alec Pierce

The Indianapolis Colts were able to hold onto wide receiver Alec Pierce by getting him to agree to a four-year, $116M contract before the "legal tampering" portion of free agency got underway on March 9. 

Whether or not Pierce could have received a better deal had he reached the open market sparked some interesting conversations in NFL circles over the final days of winter. 

Alec Pierce "absolutely" would have picked Commanders over Colts?

For an article published on Thursday, Washington Commanders reporter John Keim of ESPN shared that "sources with knowledge of the team's thinking" said that "Washington would have pursued Indianapolis wideout Alec Pierce had he not opted to stay with Indianapolis before the legal negotiating period began" earlier this month. 

"One source with knowledge of the situation said Pierce 'absolutely' would have signed with the Commanders if free," Keim added. 

As it pertains to NFL rules, Pierce's camp shouldn't have known as of the morning of March 9 that the Commanders were planning to make a major bid for his services that afternoon. However, recent events show that teams around the NFL basically ignore such rules related to tampering each and every offseason. Even if Pierce had decided he didn't want to leave Indianapolis, he possibly could have gotten a better deal from the team had he waited even a day to come to an agreement with the Colts. 

Alec Pierce, camp likely knew what offers were available

"If the Commanders were going to out-bid the Colts for Pierce, they would have made sure Pierce’s agent knew that before he re-signed with the Colts," Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk noted on Thursday afternoon. "Teams and agents talk all the time, and Pierce wouldn’t have signed with the Colts just before the start of the negotiating window unless he had a very good idea of what other offers would be out there once the window officially opened. So while the Commanders may have wanted Pierce, that doesn’t mean they would have gotten him, even if Pierce had waited long enough to let them make him an official offer."

Multiple unnamed NFL executives previously criticized Colts general manager Chris Ballard for his handling of offseason decisions that resulted in Ballard signing Pierce and quarterback Daniel Jones to big-money deals. Keim's update suggests Ballard was in serious danger of losing Pierce to the Commanders, and it also indicates that the Commanders felt they simply lost out on a highly-rated target before he was able to speak with other teams. 

In short, it's possible some people involved wanted to save a little face regarding Pierce's free-agency journey that never completely materialized.