Heading into the heart of the offseason, one thing is clear. The Pittsburgh Steelers will be bringing in some help at wide receiver. The draft will include several options, and the Steelers’ wide list of combine meetings proves their interest in the position as clear as ever. But before that, the Steelers could also supplement the position through free agency. And in that market, potentially the biggest name is Alec Pierce.
Pierce is coming off a career year in Indianapolis, but his future there is a little murky. The Colts gave Daniel Jones the transition tag, which doesn’t allow them to give Pierce any type of tag, despite him becoming a free agent when the new league year begins.
Already mentioning a desire to “see what’s out there“, Pierce should be in line for a big payday. But Steelers beat writer Mike DeFabo doesn’t think that should come from Pittsburgh.
“When it comes to Alec Pierce, you know, I think he’s gonna get way overpaid. I think that he’s really, a very, very good number-two wide receiver, who’s going to get number-one wide receiver money, I don’t think that’s good business for anybody involved. I would go down the Romeo Doubs path,” DeFabo said Monday on 102.5 WDVE.
There’s a long list of free agents at the position, including Romeo Doubs, as DeFabo mentions. Mike Evans, Rasheed Shahid, Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings and more headline the market. But Pierce has a real case to be the most attractive option.
For one, Pierce will only be 26 at the start of next season. He’s coming off his first 1,000-receiving yard season, and stacked six touchdowns as well. However, he really thrives as a big play threat. Pierce has led the NFL in yards per reception for two straight years, racking up 21.3 per reception in 2025.
That’s exciting, but Pierce’s price tag will be a large one. Is that money worth it, if it comes from the Steelers? He’s a big downfield threat, but he doesn’t make a ton of things happen after the catch, and his route tree isn’t the most expansive. With DK Metcalf’s large contract already on the books, it might be worth looking at a cheaper option.
However, cap space isn’t really an issue for the Steelers right now, and the cap is only growing every year. If there was a time for the Steelers to have two big-money receivers at the same time, it would be now. And while it may be scary to hand Pierce a large contract, he would still be a massive upgrade over what the Steelers had at receiver last year.
It makes some sense either way. But wide receiver isn’t the only need on the roster. And there’s a good chance the Steelers take multiple receivers early in the draft. Thus, if Alec Pierce is too expensive, it may make some sense to look elsewhere in free agency.
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