Indianapolis Colts, Daniel Jones, Alec Pierce; All Sides 'Driven' to Get Deals Done

The Indianapolis Colts may soon have two of the most significant items on their offseason to-do list checked off, as they continue to work on new multi-year contracts for quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce.

The NFL world has descended upon Indianapolis for the annual Scouting Combine this week, and with that many people from the team-side and player-representative side in one place, deals always begin coming together across the league.

"Good. I've had great discussions about both of them," Colts general manager Chris Ballard answered on Tuesday when asked how talks with Jones and Pierce has progressed. "We'll continue to work this week and see if we can get something done. It's been very positive. Look, when both sides are driven to get it done, it usually works out the right way."

Ballard was then asked about the possibility of using the franchise tag on either Jones or Pierce, with the deadline to do so coming soon on Tues., March 3.

"It's not what we want to do. It's a tool we have. It's not what we want to do now," Ballard said. "I know four or five days doesn't seem like a long time, but it can be in these situations, but, you know, both the players, we're driven, they're driven, the agents have been great to work with. We've just got to keep working through it."

The commonly used variation of the franchise tag, the non-exclusive designation, is a one-year contract that pays the player an average salary based on the top five highest-paid players at their position. Its purpose is to buy time for teams to work out multi-year deals with players without a greater risk of losing them to other teams, although players can technically still negotiate with other teams unless the exclusive franchise tag is used, which it seldom is.

The Colts last used the franchise tag in 2024 on wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. before signing him to a multi-year deal soon after.

The Colts are all in on Jones as their quarterback in 2026 and beyond, despite his season-ending Achilles tear in Week 14.

He reached several personal bests in 2025 after resurrecting his career in Indianapolis. Jones' win percentage (61.5%), completion percentage (68.0%), passing yards per attempt (8.1), passing yards per game (238.5), passer rating (100.2), and QBR (63.1) were all single-season career highs. He was also on pace to set new marks in completions, pass attempts, passing yards, passing touchdowns, and passing first downs.

While saying that the team "feels good" about Jones being ready to return to the field by training camp, Ballard won't guarantee it.

"I mean, he's on track," Ballard said. "I think with the Achilles, the three-month mark is where you're kind of past the danger zone (of re-injury), okay? And what is he at now? Seven weeks, eight weeks? Y'all have been around Daniel enough to know, like, he's pretty diligent in everything he does. He works. You've almost got to bring him back a little bit. But no, we, we feel good about where he's at and where he's going."

Pierce has become Ballard's poster child for draft-and-develop success stories, but also the team's best receiver. The biggest difference-maker in the Colts' offense has been Pierce, who, for two consecutive years, has led the NFL in yards per catch, culminating in his first 1,000-yard season in 2025. Pierce is improving as an all-around receiver, but his ability to take the top off of defenses is unmatched.

"Alec Pierce — Alec knows this. His agents know it — Alec Pierce, I've always believed he's excellent," Ballard declared. "He's a really freaking good player. He makes really big plays for us, and he's still young. He's 25 years old. So yeah, (the desire to re-sign Pierce) goes both ways."

Along with the March 3 franchise tag deadline, another key date arrives soon as teams may begin negotiating contracts with outside free-agent players on Mon., March 9.

Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL.