Report: Commanders wanted Alec Pierce, still hope to add a starting wide receiver

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The Commanders entered the offseason wanting to get Jayden Daniels another wide receiver alongside Terry McLaurin. That's still on the list of priorities. The first choice was apparently Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce, who re-signed with Indianapolis just before it became legal for teams to negotiate with free agents. According to John Keim of ESPN, a source said Pierce “absolutely” would have signed with the Commanders if he had reached free agency. Realistically, however, if the Commanders were going to out-bid the Colts for Pierce, they would have made sure Pierce's agent knew that before he re-signed with the Colts. Teams and agents talk all the time, and Pierce wouldn't have signed with the Colts just before the start of the negotiating window unless he had a very good idea of what other offers would be out there once the window officially opened. So while the Commanders may have wanted Pierce, that doesn't mean they would have gotten him, even if Pierce had waited long enough to let them make him an official offer. With the Commanders still needing a No. 2 receiver to complement McLaurin, 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk would be an obvious choice. Daniels and Aiyuk are close friends and were teammates at Arizona State, and they'd love to play together again. Aiyuk is still under contract to the 49ers, but they have said they’ll move on from him this offseason. When the 49ers officially move him, Aiyuk would make a lot of sense in Washington. The Commanders could also draft a wide receiver, and there are still veterans available in free agency Jauan Jennings, DeAndre Hopkins and Keenan Allen. It's a position where the Commanders would still like to fill a need, even as free agency slows down.