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When meeting with the media at the 2026 NFL combine, Indianapolis Colts' general manager Chris Ballard provided an update on where things stand with free agents Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce.
All reports suggest that the Colts are working towards re-signing both players.
"Good," Ballard said on Tuesday of the conversations with Jones and Pierce. "I've had great discussions about both of them. We'll continue to work this week and see if we can get something done. It's been very positive."
Since Ballard's end-of-season press conference in early January, he's made it known that retaining both Jones and Pierce are priorities for the Colts. Both players have said that they would like to return to Indianpolis as well.
"Look, when both sides are driven to get it done, it usually works out in the right way," Ballard added. "I know four or five days doesn't seem like a long time but it can be in these situations. They're drive, we're driven, the agents have been great to work with, we just gotta keep working through it."
If the Colts are unable to agree to new deals with Jones and/or Pierce before March 3rd, they could then utilize the franchise tag and transition tag to prevent both players from hitting the open market.
The goal in this scenario isn't for either Jones or Pierce to play out the 2026 season on one of those tags, but it would help extend the negotiating window beyond March 9th, when the NFL's free agency legal tampering period begins.
However, that is, ideally, not a path that Ballard and the Colts want to go down.
"It's not what we want to do," Ballard said of the franchise tag. "It's a tool we have, but it's not what we want to do, though."
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: NFL free agency: Colts' Ballard addresses contract talks with Jones, Pierce
Continue reading...
All reports suggest that the Colts are working towards re-signing both players.
"Good," Ballard said on Tuesday of the conversations with Jones and Pierce. "I've had great discussions about both of them. We'll continue to work this week and see if we can get something done. It's been very positive."
Since Ballard's end-of-season press conference in early January, he's made it known that retaining both Jones and Pierce are priorities for the Colts. Both players have said that they would like to return to Indianpolis as well.
"Look, when both sides are driven to get it done, it usually works out in the right way," Ballard added. "I know four or five days doesn't seem like a long time but it can be in these situations. They're drive, we're driven, the agents have been great to work with, we just gotta keep working through it."
If the Colts are unable to agree to new deals with Jones and/or Pierce before March 3rd, they could then utilize the franchise tag and transition tag to prevent both players from hitting the open market.
The goal in this scenario isn't for either Jones or Pierce to play out the 2026 season on one of those tags, but it would help extend the negotiating window beyond March 9th, when the NFL's free agency legal tampering period begins.
However, that is, ideally, not a path that Ballard and the Colts want to go down.
"It's not what we want to do," Ballard said of the franchise tag. "It's a tool we have, but it's not what we want to do, though."
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: NFL free agency: Colts' Ballard addresses contract talks with Jones, Pierce
Continue reading...
