Colts WR Alec Pierce explains ankle surgery,…

Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Tuesday he expects wide receiver Alec Pierce back “at some point in training camp” following a clean-up procedure the 26-year-old underwent earlier this spring.

Pierce, who has not participated in OTA or minicamp practices during the Colts’ offseason program, on Wednesday explained the process that led him to have the surgery on an ankle that had been bothering him since the end of the 2024 season.

“It definitely got a little bit worse as the (2025) season went,” Pierce said. “Probably the last month I’d say I was kind of struggling – (it) affected practice, I’d taken some days off. I’m glad they figured out what the issue was and we were able to fix it.”

Pierce didn’t let the pain he dealt with impact his production, as he crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career and led the NFL in yards per catch for the second consecutive season. He received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection shortly after the 2025 season and began a rehab process from it that was expected to take six to eight weeks – right up to mid-March, when he re-signed with the Colts just after the free agency negotiation window opened.

The PRP injection didn’t alleviate the issue, so Pierce and the Colts began figuring out the next step. He could’ve tried to play through it, but doctors told him he’d eventually require the surgery, and there was risk of a more significant injury occurring if he put the procedure off for another year.

Eventually, by late March, the decision was collectively made for Pierce to undergo the procedure with the knowledge it could jeopardize his availability for the beginning of training camp.