Colts WR Alec Pierce recently underwent surgery after playing through nagging ankle pain for much of last season and will be sidelined during offseason workouts.
play
Alec Pierce after $116M deal: I think the Colts can be special (1:23)
Alec Pierce joins Pat McAfee and details the process that led to him re-signing with the Colts. (1:23)
Stephen HolderApr 20, 2026, 02:03 PM ET
- Stephen joined ESPN in 2022, covering the Indianapolis Colts and NFL at large. Stephen finished first place in column writing in the 2015 Indiana Associated Press Media Editors competition, and he is a previous top-10 winner in explanatory journalism in the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest. He has chronicled the NFL since 2005, covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005-2013 and the Colts since 2013. He has previously worked for the Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and The Athletic.
INDIANAPOLIS -- Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce recently underwent surgery after playing through nagging ankle pain for much of last season and will be sidelined during offseason workouts, general manager Chris Ballard said Monday.
Pierce had planned to push through the issue during the 2026 season, Ballard said, but ultimately a decision was made to correct the problem surgically as there was still time to allow him to recover before the season.
After signing a four-year, $116 million contract extension last month, Pierce and the team eventually agreed that doing the surgery now was prudent, with Ballard estimating the recovery time to take three months.
"I knew he was hurting at times last year," Ballard said. "So, finally, after consulting with multiple doctors and him, he had a cleanup done. ... We don't expect any long-term implications here."
The Colts are leaning heavily on Pierce this season given the huge extension and the subsequent trade of veteran receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Having him available to play without limitations is a priority.
"It just came down to, it got to where he was really having maintenance a lot last year and the pain," Ballard said. "So he had to kind of fight through that."
Pierce finished last season with a league-high 21.3 yards per catch and a career-high 1,003 receiving yards.
Elsewhere, Ballard said Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. and cornerback Kenny Moore II, who both have requested trades, were not in attendance Monday for the first day of offseason workouts.
Ballard said there have been discussions with both players regarding their attendance and the sides appear to be on one accord.