“I think it was something we expected, from me and my agents. Obviously, the No. 1 quarterback,” Pierce said of Indianapolis tagging Jones. “We knew, talking to the Colts, with the Colts going back and forth, basically, like until they had a quarterback in the game, like we’ve got to treat them like they don’t have a quarterback. It’s hard as a receiver to really commit to a team that doesn’t know where the quarterback is. So I think, like we’ve known with my team, like the Colts were doing. a deal until they got a deal quarterback So their No. 1 priority was Daniel, I guess that was the best option to get his contract.
Now it’s up to him to toe the line between looking for a payday and making sure he preserves the relationship built with the team that spent a second-round pick on him in 2022.
As he pointed out in the comment above, Pierce has reason to consider all factors when choosing where he will play football in 2026 and beyond. Every receiver knows their next opportunity is only as good as the quarterback filling the starting role. Given the Colts’ uncertainty at the position over the past three years — and the refreshing transformation enjoyed by Jones’ new showing in 2025 — Pierce understands how his signal-calling teammate can affect his income.
That’s his No. 1 priority as he hits the open market next week.
“Obviously, like quarterback play, like franchise consistency, like a winning culture. Things like that, I would say, make the biggest difference,” Pierce said. “Just being in Indy, playing with a lot of quarterbacks, I think they’re going to figure out with Daniel if they can get him a long-term deal because I have a lot of faith in him as a quarterback. But I think I understand the struggles that come with not having that consistency. So, like I think as a free agent, that would be a lot that I would look at.”
Quality options exist elsewhere with ready-made competitors. For example, the Buffalo Bills, a team led by superstar and 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen, tried hard to address their receiver conundrum on Thursday by agreeing to trade Bears receiver DJ Moore.
Pierce could fill another need elsewhere in free agency and get a respectable annual salary as well. That is, if he thinks this is a better situation than the one he knows in Indianapolis.
Due to the timeline involved in returning from an Achilles injury, the Colts are far from a surefire contender in 2025. They showed tons of promise with a healthy Jones under center, who proved to be one of the NFL’s most explosive, productive and dynamic offenses in their red-hot start to the season. But Jones isn’t a lock to return at the same level in 2026, and that’s even before predicting when exactly he might take the field.
With this in mind, Pierce owes it to himself to try free agency. We’ll see if that leads him back to the only home he’s known in his NFL career.