But this latest injury was different.
"From the research we looked at, as far as we knew there wasn't a professional quarterback that sustained that injury to their throwing elbow and has come back from it," Bomber head athletic therapist Alain Couture said.
He noted NFL New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees dislocated his elbow in the 2007 Pro Bowl, but it was to his non-throwing arm and he continued his career the following season.
Pierce's injury happened when he fell during the Labour Day game when his right elbow banged against a Saskatchewan player's helmet.
When he returned to Winnipeg, Couture says his arm was two and half times its normal size, adding that there was a "small fracture."
Still, a decision was made to put Pierce on the road to recovery right away.
"It definitely in a way was a bit of an experiment, absolutely," Couture said. "But we did consult with a number of people.
"Our doctor has contacts in the NFL and we kind of did a round table as to this is what we've got, this is what we're thinking of doing. Nobody else had experienced it before so we went with what we thought we should do."
"Our doctor has contacts in the NFL and we kind of did a round table as to this is what we've got, this is what we're thinking of doing. Nobody else had experienced it before so we went with what we thought we should do."
That was an aggressive rehab plan, beginning with Pierce getting treatment twice a day, seven days a week, with ice and range-of-motion work.
"The elbow, if you leave it, it's a smaller joint and if that starts to thicken and that scar tissue starts to form, it's going to be stiff and then you'll never get the range of motion back," Couture explained.
"We had about a two-week window from the time he injured it to get most of that range of motion back or else I don't think he was going to get it back ever."
Pierce was up for the challenge.
"(Couture) got me back really throwing again a little after a month," he said.
"And I wanted to get myself back early, too, because I wanted to make sure that everyone here knew that I wasn't done."
Pierce had surgery in November because the amount of scarring that did take place was putting pressure on the nerves. He was also starting to lose strength and sensation in his fourth and fifth finger.
Once January rolled around, Pierce was into a regular strength-and-conditioning program five days a week.
He says staying in Winnipeg for treatment was the right decision."
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