Colts Trade Pittman, Rely on Pierce, Warren, Downs

On April 1st, the Indianapolis Colts just traded Y receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers, opening up a bunch of targets in.

Their passing game, Pittman led the team with 78 catches and 7 touchdowns last season in 2025, but he admitted he didn't hit his peak.

Now, the Colts are all in on Alec Pierce as their top outside threat, signing him to a four-year deal with $84 million in guarantees. Up to 114 million overall.

Financials played a big role here, since Pittman was set to eat up 29 million against the salary calf next year.

General manager Chris Ballard called it a tough but necessary move to build the future.

Pierce, who's always been a deep ball specialist, has grown into a more complete receiver, leading the team with a thousand three receiving yards on.

Just 84 targets last year.

Coach Shane Stuykin showed mad respect for Pittman, saying he'll be missed for his toughness, but he's pumped for the next guys up.

The plan ain't to crown one replacement. Instead, they're spreading those targets among Pierce, tied in Tyler Warren and slot man Josh Downs.

Warren, the 14th overall pick last year, saw 112 targets as a rookie, hauling in 76 catches for 817 yards.

Downs gets a shot to break out too. After posting career lows last season, partly because Warren ate into his slot work, Ballard sees some TY Hilton instincts in him as a separator.

And they're testing him outside this off season. No big snaps replacement yet from vets like Nick Westbrook, Iqine or rookies, but the core trio steps up.

With one ball to go around, expect hot games for Pierce, Warren and Downs to carry the load, keeping the colds offense humming without missing A.

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