Colts Involved in Trade Rumor for Embattled Receiver

The Indianapolis Colts have some serious questions at the wide receiver position.

After trading away their longtime top receiver Michael Pittman Jr. this offseason, they rewarded Alec Pierce with a mega contract in free agency. However, he's never finished higher than third on the team in targets and now is expected to be the top dog.

Even more notably, Pierce is recovering from offseason ankle surgery, and his availability for Week 1 of the regular season isn't a certainty.

The Colts didn't sign anyone of significance to directly replace Pittman, but will primarily count on the current group to load up their plates to replace him.

A solution could come from the outside, though, according to Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report. He came up with four trade destinations for troubled San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, with the Colts being one of them.

"The Indianapolis Colts are entering a make-or-break season for the current regime. This move may be viewed as an act of desperation, particularly when general manager Chris Ballard tends to prioritize character and doesn't necessarily want to bring in a player who experienced such a public falling out with his previous team."

Sobleski nailed it: Colts general manager Chris Ballard trading for Aiyuk would be an act of desperation. Ballard puts the state of the locker room almost above all else, and Aiyuk has been publicly bashing the 49ers on social media recently.

Although Aiyuk is talented, with a pair of 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023 that brought him a Second-Team All-Pro nod, is he reasonably worth the potential headache?

"Even so, the Colts should seriously consider the possibility since the team hasn't adequately replaced Michael Pittman Jr. after trading him to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"Furthermore, Alec Pierce, who signed a $114 million contract extension this offseason to become Indianapolis' new WR1, may not be ready for Week 1 after requiring offseason ankle surgery."

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While the Colts didn't go out and sign a one-for-one replacement, Pierce, Josh Downs, and Tyler Warren are all expected to receive a bigger workload and make the offense more explosive.

Outside of them, Ashton Dulin, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Laquon Treadwell, Anthony Gould, and Deion Burks will compete to fill out the rest of the receiver room.

"Maybe the Colts are more interested in bringing in a free agent like Keenan Allen, who has a previous working relationship with head coach Shane Steichen. That possibility is built on the assumption that Allen wants to sign with Indianapolis."

"Otherwise, the Colts can achieve two offseason goals with one move.

Far more likely than trading for Aiyuk — or even signing him if the 49ers were to release him — is that the Colts sign someone like Allen or Deebo Samuel; dependable veterans who can fill a specific limited role.

In exchange for Aiyuk, Sobleski suggested the Colts send quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. to the 49ers in exchange for Aiyuk, straight up.

The Colts have been attempting to deal Richardson since he requested a move in February, but the Colts have not received any worthwhile inquiries yet.

"By sending quarterback Anthony Richardson to the Niners, they get something back for the fourth overall pick from the 2023 NFL draft, while adding a receiver with the potential to make the offense more potent," Sobleski said. "For San Francisco, Richardson can be Kyle Shanahan's developmental project behind Brock Purdy since Mac Jones is set to enter free agency after the 2026 campaign."

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After Brock Purdy, the 49ers also have quarterbacks Mac Jones, Kurtis Rourke, and Adrian Martinez, though, as Sobleski pointed out, Jones may be on the move either through trade or when his contract runs out after this season.

"Interestingly, the Colts' top four wide receivers—Pierce, Josh Downs, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and the added Aiyuk—would cost less combined than Pittman's previous salary-cap hit had he stayed in Indianapolis."

The Colts also have reasonable salary cap space at around $31.6 million, but they could still afford Aiyuk if they traded for him and his $13.6M cap hit in 2026. His contract runs through 2028 and has no guaranteed money remaining, but he has almost $83M in cap hits between 2027 and 2028.

The verdict: probably not going to (and shouldn't) happen.