The Colts retained Alec Pierce and are apparently going to make him their top receiver.
That’s because Indianapolis will not have Michael Pittman Jr. back for 2026.
According to multiple reports, the Colts are trading Pittman to the Steelers for a late-round pick swap.
Pittman, 28, is entering the last year of his contract. By trading him, the Colts will save $24 million against the cap with $5 million in dead money.
A second-round pick in 2020, Pittman had spent his entire career with Indianapolis. He caught 80 passes for 784 yards with a career-high seven touchdowns in 2025, playing all 17 games.
Pittman’s best year came in 2023 when he caught 109 passes for 1,152 yards with four TDs.
Now Pittman will pair with DK Metcalf in Pittsburgh under new head coach Mike McCarthy.
The Colts have gotten it done with Alec Pierce.
Expected to be one of the top free agents on the market, Pierce has agreed to a four-year contract with the Colts, according to Pat McAfee of ESPN.
The initial reported numbers indicate Pierce will earn $116 million over the four-year deal, which works out to $29 million per year.
Pierce, 25, put together his best season for the Colts in 2025, recording 47 catches for 1,003 yards with six touchdowns. It was the first time he’d eclipsed 1,000 yards in his career.
The Colts had wanted to keep both Pierce and quarterback Daniel Jones heading into free agency. Now after using the transition tag on Jones, the club has also retained Pierce.
Blake Grupe closed out the 2025 season as the Colts’ kicker and he will have a chance to hold onto the job in 2026.
Grupe’s agent Mike Delle Donne told Mike Garafolo of NFL Media that Grupe has agreed to a one-year deal to remain in Indianapolis. The contract is worth up to $1.4 million.
Grupe opened last season with the Saints and was let go after appearing in 11 games for New Orleans. He was signed by the Colts to replace Michael Badgley and he was 11-of-11 on field goals over the final five games of the season.
Grupe made 57-of-75 field goal attempts in 45 games for the Saints. He’s also 96-of-98 on extra points over his entire career.
Spencer Shrader opened last season as the Colts’ kicker, but he tore his ACL and MCL during a Week 5 game. If he’s able to return in the preseason, he and Grupe will compete for the kicking job in Indianapolis.
On the eve of free agency, the Packers are bringing in a linebacker.
According to multiple reports, Indianapolis has agreed to trade Zaire Franklin to Green Bay in exchange for defensive tackle Colby Wooden.
Franklin, 29, recorded 125 total tackles with seven tackles for loss and six quarteback hits in 2025. He also had 2.0 sacks, five passes defensed, and a forced fumble.
Franklin led the league with 173 total tackles in 2024, earning his first Pro Bowl berth. He was also a second-team AP All-Pro selection.
Franklin has been remarkably durable in his eight-year career, missing just one game for which he was eligible since entering the league as a seventh-round pick in 2018.
He has two years remaining on his contract.
Wooden appeared in all 17 games with 16 starts in 2025. A fourth-round pick in 2023, Wooden has appeared in 47 career games with 17 starts. He’s entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Green Bay acquiring Franklin likely means the club will not retain pending free agent Quay Walker.
On Wednesday, the Cardinals will release Kyler Murray, the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft. Those inclined to bet on propositions like a player’s next team regard the Vikings as the clear favorites to sign him.
On DraftKings, Murray’s odds have moved from -110 to -295. The next team is the Jets at +350.
The Dolphins are at +550, with the Falcons at +650. The Browns are +800. The Steelers are +1300, the Colts are +1600. The Rams are +2000.
The offensive rookie of the year and two-time Pro Bowler had three solid seasons in Arizona. The next four seasons, which were marred by an ill-advised homework clause and a torn ACL suffered in December 2022, did not go nearly as well.
Making Murray more attractive is the possibility that he’ll do a one-year, $1.3 million contract, with the Cardinals paying him $35.5 million.
The first question is whether he wants to play right away, or whether he’s content to join a team like the Rams as a backup, with the goal of hitting the reset button in advance of 2027. Given his skills, why spend a season on the sideline? He should be looking to play now, with the goal of playing well enough that another big contract will come his way next March, if not sooner.
