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INDIANAPOLIS – For all the contractual negotiations that went on around the league involving the most sought-after free agent wide receiver in the NFL over the past week, the Colts held an advantage that went beyond Alec Pierce’s desire to continue on the journey he started in Indianapolis four years ago.
After four years with the Colts, how could he pass up living a little over an hour’s drive for his younger brother’s final college basketball season? Caden Pierce will join Matt Painter’s Purdue roster next fall.
“Shoutout to my little brother, going to Purdue, that’s a big thing,” Pierce told reporters Wednesday during his press conference two days after inking a new four-year deal worth up to $116 million to stay with the franchise that took him in the second round in 2022. “I can’t leave the state when I’ve got my little brother down the road.
“It’s going to be his last year of college basketball, so that’s going to be pretty special.”
The younger Pierce committed to Purdue nearly a month ago after choosing to sit out the 2025-26 college season in order to preserve his remaining year of eligibility following a three-year stint at Princeton.
The 2023-24 Ivy League Player of the Year as a sophomore, who two years ago averaged 16.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, continues to attend Princeton and is set to graduate in May with an undergraduate degree in economics. Purdue was his first major Division I visit as Caden mulled his transfer options over the fall and winter, taking in West Lafayette for a Nov. 28 game against Eastern Illinois.
He also visited fellow powerhouses Duke, UConn, Louisville and Gonzaga – with UConn, in particular, having potentially offered a short stint from another NFL option for his brother, as the Patriots were reportedly extremely interested in pursuing the older Pierce before Alec re-signed with the Colts.
"I was ultimately going into every visit fully with an open mind," Caden Pierce told IndyStar last month. "l felt when I was on campus at Purdue with the coaches and the guys on the team, it felt like home and a program I wanted to be a part of. Being from the Midwest, Purdue is an unbelievable basketball program and has that history that's part of the program and culture."
The Pierces are Glen Ellyn, Ill. natives, and Alec spent the last couple weeks in his boyhood home as he mulled over his highly lucrative future and watched from afar as the Colts juggled attempting to both bring back Pierce as well as starting quarterback Daniel Jones – whose performance in the first half of 2025 elevated Alec toward a breakout season.
Pierce spent the days at home with his father, Greg, while his mother, Stephanie, traveled to Thailand with Alec’s other brothers as they represent Team USA in 3-on-3 FIBA Champions Cup action starting Friday. Half a world away, the middle Pierce brother will be watching, all while his own sports career takes off in a way he could've only ever dreamed.
Just don't ask the 50-50 ball master to lace up against his brothers.
“You don’t want to see me play basketball,” said Pierce, who at 6-foot-3, is four inches shorter than his brothers. “They’re a lot taller than me.”
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts WR Alec Pierce on his brother, Caden, playing basketball at Purdue
Continue reading...
After four years with the Colts, how could he pass up living a little over an hour’s drive for his younger brother’s final college basketball season? Caden Pierce will join Matt Painter’s Purdue roster next fall.
“Shoutout to my little brother, going to Purdue, that’s a big thing,” Pierce told reporters Wednesday during his press conference two days after inking a new four-year deal worth up to $116 million to stay with the franchise that took him in the second round in 2022. “I can’t leave the state when I’ve got my little brother down the road.
“It’s going to be his last year of college basketball, so that’s going to be pretty special.”
The younger Pierce committed to Purdue nearly a month ago after choosing to sit out the 2025-26 college season in order to preserve his remaining year of eligibility following a three-year stint at Princeton.
The 2023-24 Ivy League Player of the Year as a sophomore, who two years ago averaged 16.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, continues to attend Princeton and is set to graduate in May with an undergraduate degree in economics. Purdue was his first major Division I visit as Caden mulled his transfer options over the fall and winter, taking in West Lafayette for a Nov. 28 game against Eastern Illinois.
He also visited fellow powerhouses Duke, UConn, Louisville and Gonzaga – with UConn, in particular, having potentially offered a short stint from another NFL option for his brother, as the Patriots were reportedly extremely interested in pursuing the older Pierce before Alec re-signed with the Colts.
"I was ultimately going into every visit fully with an open mind," Caden Pierce told IndyStar last month. "l felt when I was on campus at Purdue with the coaches and the guys on the team, it felt like home and a program I wanted to be a part of. Being from the Midwest, Purdue is an unbelievable basketball program and has that history that's part of the program and culture."
The Pierces are Glen Ellyn, Ill. natives, and Alec spent the last couple weeks in his boyhood home as he mulled over his highly lucrative future and watched from afar as the Colts juggled attempting to both bring back Pierce as well as starting quarterback Daniel Jones – whose performance in the first half of 2025 elevated Alec toward a breakout season.
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Pierce spent the days at home with his father, Greg, while his mother, Stephanie, traveled to Thailand with Alec’s other brothers as they represent Team USA in 3-on-3 FIBA Champions Cup action starting Friday. Half a world away, the middle Pierce brother will be watching, all while his own sports career takes off in a way he could've only ever dreamed.
Just don't ask the 50-50 ball master to lace up against his brothers.
“You don’t want to see me play basketball,” said Pierce, who at 6-foot-3, is four inches shorter than his brothers. “They’re a lot taller than me.”
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts WR Alec Pierce on his brother, Caden, playing basketball at Purdue
Continue reading...
