Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce had to undergo ankle surgery to correct an issue that was not improving.
But while Pierce had been set to miss all of the offseason program after his procedure, he now may miss more time.
Per Stephen Holder of ESPN, Pierce could be sidelined well into training camp and potentially past the preseason.
While Pierce wanted to avoid surgery — and did not specify the exact nature of the injury — his condition had been a problem since 2024 and was only getting worse.
“It definitely got a little bit worse as the season went. And probably the last month, I’d say I was kind of struggling,” Pierce told reporters, via Holder. “Taking some days off [from practice] and stuff. I’m glad they kind of figured out what the issue was.”
Pierce received a platelet-rich plasma treatment in January to try to address his ankle. But when that did not fix the problem, he was advised to turn to surgery, which has a four-to-six-month recovery time.
Now, that could keep the Colts’ prized $114 million wideout off of the field well into August.
Last season, Pierce set career highs with 47 receptions and 1,003 yards. He also had six touchdowns.
Jonathan Taylor is heading into the final year of his contract with the Colts and he’d prefer that his stay in Indianapolis extends beyond the 2026 season.
Taylor said at a Wednesday press conference, via multiple reporters, that he wants to be a “Colt for life” and that he has expressed that position to the team. Taylor would like to secure an extension before the start of the 2026 season, but it is unclear at this point whether things will come together by that time.
The last time Taylor was up for a contract, it was a protracted process to get one done. Taylor was given permission to seek a trade during the 2023 preseason and ultimately started the season on the physically unable to perform list — he had ankle surgery that offseason — before signing a new contract in October.
Taylor ran for 741 yards in 10 games that season and has posted 3,016 yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground over the last two seasons.
One of the final steps of Colts quarterback Daniel Jones’s return from a torn Achilles will have to wait until training camp.
Jones will not do any 11-on-11 work during this week’s mandatory minicamp. Jones moved up to 7-on-7 drills earlier in the offseason program and said on Tuesday that he asked to move up to full team work, but the Colts will opt to wait for camp to move forward on that front. Jones also gave a snapshot of where he feels he stands on the path back toward full strength.
“I think I’m closer,” Jones said. “I think there’s still work to be done. I wouldn’t say I’m all the way there at this point. I feel good about where I am and where the rehab’s taken me to this point. Still work to do and still got to make some progress, but I feel like I’m in a good spot.”
While Jones will be waiting to move up to 11-on-11 work, a couple of other Colts will be waiting to do any on-field work at all. Wide receiver Alec Pierce (ankle) and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (neck) won’t practice this week, and head coach Shane Steichen said that the plan is to get both players on the field when the team reports to training camp this summer.
Safety Reuben Lowery has taken himself out of the running for a spot in the Colts’ secondary.
The Colts announced that they have placed Lowery on the reserve/retired list on Tuesday. The move removes Lowery from their 90-man roster and the team will hold onto Lowery’s rights in the event he decides to return to the league.
Lowery signed with the Ravens after going undrafted last season and joined the Colts as a waiver claim in November. He played in three games for Baltimore, but did not appear in any games after changing teams.
Lowery was credited with five tackles for the Ravens.
Word emerged recently that ESPN and Pat McAfee are discussing an extension to a contract that runs through 2028. On Tuesday, a number surfaced.
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reports that the new deal would pay McAfee more than $60 million per year.
That’s franchise quarterback money. Hell, it’s nearly NFL Commissioner money.
Yes, McAfee pays his production costs out of his own pocket. Still, $60 million is $60 million.
Per the report, McAfee could emerge with a bigger role in ESPN’s NFL coverage.
Currently, McAfee’s total deal with ESPN is in the range of $30 million per year, according to Marchand. He reportedly gets $17 million for his weekday show. Which means he gets another $13 million for College GameDay and other ESPN work.
It’s unclear whether the higher rate would kick in after the current deal expires, or whether the bump would go into effect right away.
McAfee’s agents reportedly made an opening ask of $100 million per year. Which suggests that ESPN was likely in the range of $40 million with its opener — and ESPN had room to move into the $60 million range.
The news comes at a time when ESPN is planning another round of layoffs, sparked by the recent acquisition of NFL Network.
If/when the deal is done, look for reports to eventually emerge regarding Stephen A. Smith’s contract. Although they try to downplay it, there’s a rivalry there. And when one sets a new bar, the other will try to beat it.
Once the new deal is done, that bar will be higher than ever. Chances are that McAfee’s reps were already getting feelers as to what others (like Amazon or Netflix) would pay to snatch his show away from ESPN. Which forced ESPN to move before McAfee got close enough to his expiration date to strike a deal to make another jump to a new operation.
