49ers' Pearsall to Have Season-Ending Knee Surgery
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- Ricky Pearsall placed on season-ending injured reserve by the 49ers with a posterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee; GM John Lynch said surgery will come in the next two weeks, with a six-to-12-month recovery (nine months the target).
- Pearsall's injury traces to Week 4 of last season (Sept. 28 vs. Jacksonville); he and the team chose rest over surgery this offseason, but swelling after just a few days of training camp prompted a reversal.
- Pearsall, a 2024 first-round pick, played only 10 games last season (including postseason) and finished with 36 receptions for 528 yards and zero touchdowns — with no catches in the season-ending loss to Seattle.
- The 49ers signed Deebo Samuel to a one-year deal to take Pearsall's roster spot; Lynch said the team pursued Samuel regardless of Pearsall's status and had been in talks for roughly a month.
- Samuel was originally a 2019 second-round pick by San Francisco and served as a focal point of the offense until the Niners traded him to the Washington Commanders in the 2025 offseason.
Why it matters: Pearsall — San Francisco's 2024 first-round pick — won't play in 2025 after the team gambled on rest and rehab over surgery this offseason and lost. The 49ers now lean on a 31-year-old Deebo Samuel they traded away to Washington roughly six months ago, plugging him back into an offense missing its young WR for the full six-to-12-month recovery window.
