The Colts thought highly enough of Pierce to give him the sixth-largest contract guarantee ($60 million) among wide receivers, even though they knew he might need ankle surgery not long after signing. He ended up having the procedure in late March or early April -- five and a half months before Week 1 of 2026 -- and reportedly has a recovery timeline of 4-6 months, which means Week 1 is no sure thing. A 2022 second-round pick, Pierce served as a low-volume field stretcher for three years, topping out at 37-824-7 in 2024, when his 30 deep targets tied for second-most in the league. He then drew 28 deep targets in 2025, again ranking second, but this time he was also a threat in the intermediate range, drawing 55 targets that traveled less than 20 yards downfield (compared to 36 in 2024). With four TDs and 218 yards over the final two weeks of last season, Pierce snuck over 1,000 yards despite missing two and a half games in concussion protocol. He averaged 66.9 yards and 5.6 targets per game, ranking 18th among WRs with 2.23 yards per route. The Colts seem to think there's more meat on the bone, as their WR room otherwise looks weak after swapping out Michael Pittman for 34-year-old Keenan Allen. While Daniel Jones's rehab from an Achilles tear may complicate things, the Colts clearly intend to run their passing game through Pierce, TE Tyler Warren and WR Josh Downs when everyone is healthy. If things go according to plan, Pierce could push toward triple-digit targets for the first time.