As the March 3 tag deadline came-and-went on Tuesday, now-former Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce was passed over by Indianapolis for a franchise tag in favor of quarterback Daniel Jones, who received a transition tag worth $37.833 million for the 2026 season.
That means Pierce is an unrestricted free agent, free to sign with any team across the league for any dollar amount.
And after the season he had in 2025 where he led the NFL in yards per reception for a second consecutive season, the 6-foot-3 University of Cincinnati product is going to have his pick of the litter when it comes to potential landing spots.
With receiver being a perpetual need for the Patriots, the 25-year-old has been on the radar for both fans and media alike in New England, with the idea being that pairing the best downfield receiver in the NFL with the best downfield thrower in the NFL would take Drake Maye to an even higher level entering his third season in the league.
But with multiple outlets reporting Pierce’s price tag on the open market to eclipse $100 million, there are some in Patriots Nation that would opt to pass on the 2022 second round pick in favor of a more cost effective option.
Nick “Fitzy” Stevens took to WEEI Afternoons on Tuesday to plant his flag in the thanks-but-no-thanks camp for Pierce.
“For supersized Chris Hogan? No, I think it’s a little too much money,” said Fitzy. “The guy’s never topped 47 catches in his career. And I understand he hasn’t been a WR1, but does Alec Pierce strike you as the kind of wide receiver the Patriots need?
“It's not just that they need wide receiver productivity, Andy [Hart]. I think they need a certain kind of receiver. That's why I was even willing to bring in old-man Mike Evans’ bones, and his 10-year career to Foxborough for a year, just because I think they need a big guy that can win on the outside.
“Pierce is a good deep threat, and obviously had a bunch of touchdowns last year. But he feels sort of like supersized Chris Hogan. It doesn't feel like this is the kind of guy that's going to open the field up and really make a huge difference for Drake Maye. I'd rather they take a flyer on a kid in the draft and then get a really good tight end to pair with Hunter Henry, as opposed to spending all that money - which would represent, by the way, the majority of what would be a big expenditure of fixing the roster this year with Alec Pierce.”
While Hogan and Pierce share a similar build (both listed at 210 pounds), Pierce has another two inches on the two-time Super Bowl champion. Like Pierce, Hogan did once lead the NFL in yards per reception, as he averaged 17.9 yards per catch during his first season playing with Tom Brady in 2016. As noted earlier, this is something Pierce has already done twice in his four-year career, averaging 22.3 yards per game in 2024 and 21.3 in 2025. And while their size and play style might be the same, Hogan only went over 500 yards receiving twice during his nine-year career. Pierce has surpassed that mark in each of his four years, including his first 1,000-yard season in 2025 (1,003).
…come to think of it, Fitzy may have just hit the nail on the head.
Is Alec Pierce the living, breathing embodiment of what Chris Hogan’s ceiling could have been?
Is Chris Hogan’s theoretical ceiling worth $100 million?
There will be plenty of arguments to be made on either side. Some will argue that money and cap space should be conserved for someone like A.J. Brown, who remains in the middle of all sorts of trade rumors between the Eagles and Patriots. Some will argue that Pierce’s ceiling can go even higher if given the chance to catch balls from Maye, whose downfield accuracy in 2025 helped vault him into a runner-up finish for MVP.
Whatever the case may be, we’ll have plenty of time to discuss the merits of every version of every plan at wide receiver ahead of the start of free agency - beginning on Wednesday, March 11 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Stay locked in to WEEI and WEEI.com for all the latest on the Patriots’ offseason.