Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts
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Alec Pierce #14 of the Indianapolis Colts makes a catch in the third quarter of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on November 23, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
The Kansas City Chiefs were expected to upgrade their wide receiver room this offseason, but may have avoided an addition that is deemed too risky for an AFC rival.
The Chiefs face an uncertain future regarding Rashee Rice, who could see another NFL suspension after facing allegations of domestic violence. Though the Chiefs will see tight end Travis Kelce return, they could use more help for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Chiefs Smart to Avoid Alec Pierce
Analyst Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports broke down the riskiest free agency additions, putting wide receiver Alec Pierce near the top of the list. He returned to the Indianapolis Colts on a four-year deal worth $116 million, with $80 million in guaranteed money.
“There is no doubt that Pierce is a talented, dangerous, stretch-the-field weapon who will make the Colts and their quarterback better next season. His average of 21.8 yards per catch the past two seasons proves that,” Vacchiano wrote.
“But at $29 million per year, he better do more than that. He’s now the ninth-highest-paid receiver in the league, which puts him in the stratosphere of guys like A.J. Brown and Amon-Ra St. Brown.”
Vacchiano noted that Pierce has never established a track record anywhere close to those players, putting pressure on the wide receiver to justify his contract.
That would have been a steep overpay for the Chiefs, who were once seen as a logical landing spot for Pierce. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted late in the NFL season that the Chiefs need a “classic boundary receiver” and saw Pierce as a good choice.
“Alec Pierce would satisfy that need in Kansas City, which has been starved for explosive playmaking on the outside since Tyreek Hill was traded after the 2021 season,” Fowler wrote.
But Fowler also warned that the Chiefs didn’t have much money, which would have precluded them from chasing Pierce.
“The Chiefs are much lower on space, sitting at negative-$42.8 million, but cuts are on the way for a team that might look drastically different this time next year,” Fowler wrote.
Chiefs Get Important Return
While the Chiefs have not made any big additions to their wide receiving corps — though did boost the offense by signing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III — they did get a very important return in Kelce.
The tight end showed he could still perform at a high level last year, recently announcing that he was coming back on another one-year deal in 2026. Though Kelce took a while to reveal his decision, he said on his “New Heights” podcast that he already knew during the year that he wanted to come back.
“About midway through the season,” Kelce said when asked when he felt the urge to return.
Kelce said he wanted to take some time to solidify his decision, saying he wante to take emotion out of it and make sure he was coming back for the right reasons.
“I’ve made decisions based off of emotions, and, you know, they haven’t always played out the right way,” Kelce said. “So I think taking a step back, letting the emotions settle down.”