Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce received another platelet-rich plasma injection in his left ankle, according to a source with knowledge of the matter who spoke anonymously Monday because they were not authorized to speak publicly. This is the second time this offseason Pierce has received a PRP injection in his left ankle. The first one was before Pierce underwent left ankle surgery in March, and the second came after the procedure.
Pierce did not have a setback, the source said. He received the second PRP shot in late June to alleviate soreness and speed up his rehab, which the source emphasized is “not abnormal.” Pierce said in June that when he initially received a PRP injection at the end of last season, he faced a six-to-eight-week recovery. It’s unclear how long Pierce’s recovery is this time around, as the source did not specify.
The Colts retained Pierce on a four-year, $114 million contract in March, which is the richest free-agent receiver contract in NFL history. He is now the 15th-highest-paid wideout in the league based on annual salary.
General manager Chris Ballard said in March that the team was aware of Pierce’s lingering left ankle issue before he was rewarded with a new deal. But since getting a massive raise, Pierce has yet to practice.
Steichen reacts to Taylor’s Colts extension
James Boyd
Pierce said in June he was in the midst of a four-to-six-month recovery timeline after undergoing left ankle surgery in late March. He is now more than four months into his rehab. Ballard provided an update on Pierce the day before training camp started in July, saying his team’s top wideout was “close” and “probably still a week or two away” from practicing. But the Colts are now two weeks into training camp, and the team has had no further updates.
“Not right now,” Colts coach Shane Steichen said last week when asked whether he had any new info on Pierce. “His rehab’s going great, I’ll say that. I don’t have a timetable on his return, but he’s doing a hell of a job in his rehab process.”
Pierce said in June he underwent surgery to alleviate what he described as increasing “discomfort” in his left ankle. He’d been managing the issue since the 2024 season. Pierce never disclosed what was causing the discomfort nor what the surgery was specifically done to correct.
Pierce said he originally tried to avoid surgery altogether by getting a PRP shot at the end of last season, but when that didn’t offer much relief, he moved forward with surgery.
“Usually, Fridays would be pretty tough because we had just practiced Wednesday (and) Thursday,” Pierce said in June. “I understand I’m not gonna feel 100 percent (during the season), and I was kind of fine. But I knew once I got to the game day and I was still not feeling great, just a lot of discomfort, that’s when I knew it was probably … something I needed to figure out.
“I ended up just talking with the doctors and talking about the risks that I had,” Pierce continued. “I think that was another (factor) where I was like, ‘OK, you need to get this fixed. You need to get this addressed for the long term.’”
Pierce is poised to take over as the Colts’ No. 1 receiver, especially after the team traded veteran Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers in March. Pittman led the Colts in receptions in four of the past five seasons. Pierce, meanwhile, has emerged as arguably the best deep threat in the NFL. He’s led the league in yards per reception in back-to-back seasons (22.3 in 2024 and 21.3 in 2025). What’s more, Pierce totaled 1,003 yards and six touchdowns on just 47 catches last year. He is only the third receiver in the last 30 years to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a single season on fewer than 50 catches, joining Mike Williams (2019) and DeSean Jackson (2010).
Retaining Pierce and quarterback Daniel Jones, whom Indianapolis re-signed on a two-year, $88 million deal, were the Colts’ top two offseason priorities. They played vital roles in the Colts’ dominant offense amid an 8-2 start in 2025, before Jones fractured his left fibula and eventually ruptured his right Achilles tendon. Jones was one of several key players who suffered injuries, which led to a seven-game losing streak to end last season. However, the Colts believe they can replicate that first-half success from 2025, so long as they get healthy and stay healthy in 2026.
“I think we truly had something special going, and I know we didn’t finish the way we want to finish,” Pierce said after he inked his new contract in March. “But I think I’m able to look back to that and look at how we were playing and know that we can be the best team in the NFL.”
