49ers Wr Ricky Pearsall Headed To Season-ending Ir, Will Have Pcl Surgery

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch told reporters Saturday that wide receiver Ricky Pearsall will have PCL surgery and is headed to season-ending injured reserve.

Earlier this week, news broke that the 2024 first-round draft pick out of Florida was dealing with knee swelling stemming from the PCL setback he suffered last season. He missed eight games because of that problem in his right knee, and it's proven to nag.

Lynch said Pearsall's surgery will take place in "the next couple of weeks" and that the soon-to-be 26-year-old's recovery timeline spans six-to-12 months, with nine months seeming like a realistic goal for his return, as reported by The Athletic's Matt Barrows.

Injuries have been a thorn in Pearsall's side since he made it to the league and have infamously riddled the 49ers for years. Their 2026 receiving corps has already taken a hit, and a game has yet to be played. In addition to losing Pearsall, San Francisco is currently without Christian Kirk, who is battling a calf injury, except that issue doesn't appear as though it'll be long-lasting.

Leading up to his rookie season, Pearsall was shot in the chest. Pearsall made a speedy recovery and scored his first NFL touchdown about two months later. In 11 games that season, he piled up 31 receptions, 400 receiving yards and 3 scores.

Flash forward to last offseason, however, and Pearsall found himself sidelined again, that time by a hamstring injury he picked up amid offseason workouts. He worked his way back to the field in time for the start of the 2025 campaign. Then he impressed with 327 receiving yards and 20 grabs across the team's first four contests. Unfortunately for Pearsall and the Niners, his PCL injury threw a wrench in what could have been a breakout season.

And now, with his right knee still causing stress, he's going under the knife in hopes of a clean reset for the 2027 campaign.

To soften that blow, San Francisco has reunited with do-it-all receiver Deebo Samuel. The Swiss Army knife playmaker spent the first six seasons of his career with the 49ers before they traded him to the Washington Commanders last year.

In his lone season with the Commanders, Samuel caught 72 passes for 727 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also carried the ball 17 times for 75 yards and a score. San Francisco will be leaning on his production in the absence of Pearsall as well as Jauan Jennings, whom the 49ers let walk in free agency. He signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

That said, the Niners landed six-time Pro Bowl wideout Mike Evans this offseason. He'll surely command a significant target share this season. It doesn't seem like Brandon Aiyuk is walking through that door, anyway, despite him still technically being on the roster.

Rookie De'Zhaun Stribling, a second-round pick out of Ole Miss, will be in the mix for a bigger role now, too.