Alec Pierce Ejection
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Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce was drafted in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.
The NFL franchise tag window closed on Tuesday, and the Buffalo Bills chose not to tag any of their impending free agents.
There weren’t many players the Bills could apply the franchise tag to, but Bills fans were likely more interested in seeing which players around the league were tagged and which ones weren’t.
One of the players that many fans were eyeing was Alec Pierce, the wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts.
The Colts faced a crucial decision regarding whether to tag Pierce or quarterback Daniel Jones. Ultimately, they opted to apply the transition tag to Jones, which means they couldn’t use the franchise tag and, as a result, Pierce will become a free agent.
Bills Could Be a Player For Pierce
Pierce is set to be one of the prominent wide receiver free agents available on the open market this offseason. According to Albert Breer from Sports Illustrated, the Billsmight be a contender for his services.
“My expectation is that Pierce’s name would be a hot one on the market, and I’d expect him to pull down a deal in excess of $25 million per year, and maybe close to $30 million per, if he doesn’t get tagged,” Breer wrote on Tuesday. “The receiver tag, for what it’s worth, is $27.298 million and the transition tag is $23.852 million.
“Indy’s trying to do a deal with Pierce. But Pierce has been resolute that he won’t do a deal until he knows who his quarterback is, which could put him on the highway to free agency, with suitors such as the 49ers, Bills, Patriots, Raiders and Giants potentially out there.”
The Bills would be a great place for Pierce to land, especially after his impressive season last year. He played in 15 games, racking up 1,003 yards and six touchdowns, bringing his career total to 2,934 receiving yards and 17 scores.
Buffalo could Lose Pierce to a Rival
However, since he is likely to become one of the biggest names on the free agent market, the Bills may find themselves in a bidding war with other teams that may not favor Buffalo.
Spotrac recently estimated that Pierce’s market value stands at $20.2 million per season, suggesting he could land a four-year contract worth $80 million. If that’s the case, the Bills might struggle to fit him into their budget, especially since they are already committing a significant amount of money to quarterback Josh Allen. The Patriots, who are also in the running for Pierce, haven’t encountered this financial challenge yet.
New England has a solid quarterback in Drake Maye, but he’s still on his rookie contract and can’t sign an extension until next offseason. The Patriots will have Maye at a low cost for a few more seasons, which could free up space for them to add a player like Pierce at a high contract price.
It would be a huge blow for the Bills to miss out on Pierce and see him sign with the Patriots, who already claimed the division title away from Buffalo last season. Now, they might snatch away a player the Bills want.