Colts get crushed for free agency approach

The Indianapolis Colts have had an interesting offseason, to say the least.

They gave a boatload of money to a quarterback who doesn't have a history of playing good football for long periods, plus he's coming off an Achilles injury.

Then the Alec Pierce deal was eyebrow-raising, but the Colts clearly believe in both Pierce and Jones to repeat their 2025 efforts.

But not everyone is pleased with how the Colts approached their business.

Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr has handed the Colts a D+ grade for their free agency dealings.

"The Colts took sizable hits to ensure they kept the tandem of Jones and Pierce," Orr wrote. "Perhaps that wasn’t the right move for a team that lost seven consecutive games to end last season. To make matters worse, Jones is recovering from a significant Achilles injury and he doesn’t have a track record of putting together back-to-back strong seasons.

"It was a win for the team to re-sign Pierce, but it needed to trade Michael Pittman Jr. to Pittsburgh to create cap space. You could make a case that Indianapolis kept the wrong receiver."

More: Analyst offers incredibly optimistic Commanders 2026 projection

Colts taking big Daniel Jones risk

Paying Jones that sort of money without the Achilles injury is a huge risk for most, so adding in the injury only makes this more tense for the franchise. 

They are banking on Jones not only getting back in 2025 but also playing at a high level.

Without Michael Pittman Jr. to help dictate coverage away from Pierce, Alec might have to do a lot of heavy lifting by himself in the passing game. And for a receiver who has only once surpassed 1,000 yards in his career, that is a big ask.

But the Colts feel confident in their decisions, even if there are many who question them.

Either way, the decisions to pay Jones and Pierce will be heavily scrutinized in 2026 if they don't play to the level many now expect.

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