The New England Patriots have more than enough cap space for the front office to be aggressive once again this offseason. With Drake Maye as the focal point of this team, the Patriots need to find a way to surround him with as much talent as possible, especially on the outside.
Receiver will be a priority for this team. Especially after NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that the Patriots plan to release receiver Stefon Diggs when the league year starts. Meanwhile, it looks like a big target is slated to hit the market in Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce. The Colts decided to place the transition tag on quarterback Daniel Jones, clearing a path for Pierce to hit the open market.
Pierce appeared as a guest on a recent episode of the Up and Adams show on FanDuel TV and spoke about free agency, making it clear he will listen to what's out there for him. "I love Indy... but at this point, I've kind of earned the right to explore free agency. See what's out there," Pierce replied.
For a New England team that's looking for more juice at wide receiver, this is a great development for the defending AFC champions.
Alec Pierce Is Ready for FA and Patriots Should Make Hard Push for Him
NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported that New England has dove into the top names in the WR free market and is expected to spend a ton of money. Schultz went as far as to suggest the Colts' wideout is on their radar, saying, "Alec Pierce is among the names they’ve been eyeing. "
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated also reported, "My expectation is that Pierce’s name would be a hot one on the market, and I’d expect him to pull down a deal in excess of $25 million per year, and maybe close to $30 million per, if he doesn’t get tagged."
And with the Patriots freeing up $16.8 million in cap space with Diggs' release, they should have no problem making the highest bid for Pierce. The Cincinnati product is an ascending player and has taken massive strides with the Colts.
In 64 games in Indy, he had 157 catches for 2,934 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. He just had his first 1,000-yard season and has been a dangerous deep threat, leading the NFL in yards per reception in both 2024 and 2025.
In each of the last two seasons, he has averaged at least 21 yards per reception. That would be an elite weapon for a New England offense that has one of the best downfield passers in the NFL with Maye.
In an article written by Evan Lazar of Patriots.com, he stated, "Maye is having one of the best deep-passing seasons we have seen since we began tracking passes by air yards. According to NextGen Stats, Maye has completed an insane 52.1 percent of his deep attempts (25-of-48) and is adding +1.31 expected points per drop-back on throws over 20 air yards, the second-highest EPA output of the NextGen era (since 2016)."
The idea of bringing in one of the best deep threats to pair with Maye would be a wise choice. Pierce, 25, wants to see what's out there for him. New England parted ways with their top receiver from last year and has expressed interest in Pierce. The stars seem to be aligning, and Pierce is likely a priority for this team when free agency opens up next week.