Alec Pierce Says Ankle Surgery Was Unavoidable as Recovery Stretches Toward Training Camp
The Colts' deep threat had left ankle surgery in March after a failed PRP treatment, and a four-to-six-month recovery window could keep him out past the preseason.
Alec Pierce did not want surgery. The Indianapolis Colts receiver tried platelet-rich plasma injections in January, hoping six to eight weeks of healing would let him skip the operating table. It did not work. "It didn't fix the problem," Pierce said of the treatment, and in March he went under the knife to repair a left ankle that had been bothering him since 2024. The recovery window runs four to six months, which means the Colts could be without their top vertical weapon well into training camp and possibly past the entire preseason.
Why did Alec Pierce need surgery on his ankle?
The injury was not new. Alec Pierce said the left ankle issue dates back to 2024 and got progressively worse, to the point that he dealt with constant soreness over the final month of last season and sometimes needed breaks from practice just to manage it. He first tried a PRP treatment in January, a route he called a Band-Aid type of solution, but it failed to resolve the underlying problem. Doctors told him surgery was coming eventually no matter what, and that delaying it another year carried the risk of a more significant injury. With a long-term future in Indianapolis now secured, putting the procedure off made little sense. Pierce had the operation in March.
When will Pierce be back on the field for the Colts?
The honest answer is that nobody is committing to a date. The recovery timeline for the procedure runs four to six months, which from a March surgery points anywhere from July into September. That range covers all of training camp and the preseason, and the late end of it brushes up against the start of the regular season. Head coach Shane Steichen has said he expects Pierce back at some point in training camp, which would represent the optimistic side of the projection. Pierce himself is preaching patience. "I think obviously we want the return to be as early as possible. But you've kind of got to let your body guide yourself and see how you feel," he said.
How big a loss is Pierce for the Indianapolis offense?
Significant, and the Colts' checkbook says as much. Pierce recently signed a four-year, $114 million extension, a clear statement that Indianapolis views him as a foundational piece of the passing game. He earned it with a 2025 season in which he caught 47 passes for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns, an average of more than 21 yards per reception that ranks him among the most dangerous field-stretchers in the league. He produced those numbers while playing through the very ankle problem that just required surgery. Every missed camp practice is a missed rep with the offense, and if the recovery drifts toward the six-month end of the range, the Colts may have to open the season without their best deep threat.
Players in this story
Sources
- ESPN: Colts WR Alec Pierce says ankle surgery was unavoidable
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