Colts' Alec Pierce seems confident about Daniel Jones' future after agreeing to deal

More questions than answers existed about the future of Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce after the Colts used the transition tag to retain the rights to quarterback Daniel Jones for the 2026 season. 

However, the situation changed when it was learned early Monday afternoon that the Colts and Pierce agreed to a four-year deal worth $114M that contains $84M in guarantees and $60M fully guaranteed at signing. During an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," Pierce sounded confident that a healthy Jones will be his QB1 beyond the end of the 2026 season. 

Alec Pierce believes in Daniel Jones, Colts 

"I believe in Daniel," Pierce explained during the segment. "I know they're gonna get his deal done and lock him down, and I think we can be special." 

As of the time the news broke about Pierce's agreement, there was no indication the Colts were all that close to locking Jones down. For a piece published late Sunday night, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shared that Jones' camp was looking to receive a deal worth around $50M per season. The Colts allegedly offered Jones a three-year deal worth closer to $100.5M total. 

Per the rules for the transition tag, Jones' camp was able to start speaking with other clubs once the NFL free-agency negotiation window opened at noon ET on Monday. The Colts could match any offer he receives, but they would not get any draft-pick compensation if they let him go elsewhere. 

Why Alec Pierce is hyped to stay with Colts

Jones went 8-2 as Indianapolis' starter before he suffered a reported fibula injury in Week 12 of the 2025 season. He later went down with a campaign-ending torn Achilles tendon on Dec. 7 of last year, and the Colts ultimately lost their final seven games to finish the season at 8-9.

It's unknown when Jones will be cleared to resume playing, but such uncertainty didn't stop Pierce from committing his future to the Colts. 

"I know we can be special," Pierce told McAfee. 

Pierce could have sparked a bidding war involving other teams had he reached the open market at the start of the new league year on Wednesday, but he sounds happy that he'll continue playing for the team that selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.