49ers star wide receiver Ricky Pearsall out for the season, to undergo surgery on knee in crushing blow

Training camp may be early, but the San Francisco 49ers have just taken a massive hit.

Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall will have season-ending surgery on his injured right knee, general manager John Lynch announced Saturday. The surgery will repair his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL).

Pearsall was shut down after two practices in training camp because of swelling in the knee. The 2024 first-round pick has flashed throughout his first two years in the NFL but has struggled to stay on the field.

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As a rookie, he missed most of training camp with a shoulder injury and then was shot in a robbery attempt before the season began. He played in 11 games in 2024, catching 31 passes for 400 yards and three touchdowns.

It seemed like Pearsall was primed to make the jump as the team’s No. 1 receiver in 2025 after catching 20 passes for 327 yards in his first four games, but then he suffered a knee injury. That injury knocked him out for the next six games.

When he returned, he wasn’t as effective as he was toward the beginning of the season, catching five passes for 20 yards over three games. It looked like he was on his way to becoming a key contributor again when he had six catches for 96 yards against the Tennessee Titans before reaggravating the knee injury.

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He missed two of the final three regular-season games and the playoff opener before being a nonfactor in a divisional-round loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Pearsall has 67 catches for 928 yards and three TDs in 20 games over two seasons. Pearsall's lack of playing time makes it unlikely the team would pick up his fifth-year option for 2028 next spring.

To replace Pearsall, the team signed former All-Pro Deebo Samuel on a one-year deal that is worth up to $7 million.

With Samuel, who spent the first six seasons of his career with the 49ers, back in the fold, along with the addition of Mike Evans in free agency and second-round pick De'Zhaun Stribling, the 49ers' receiving corps will look much different.

Samuel was traded to Washington in 2025 for a fifth-round draft pick and had 72 catches for 727 yards and five TDs for the Commanders last season. He became a free agent in March and now will join the Niners to provide reinforcement with Pearsall out.

Samuel has 406 catches for 5,519 yards and 27 touchdowns in his career and has been one of the most dynamic players after the catch in the NFL. His average of 8.7 yards after the catch on receptions ranks first among all receivers with at least 100 catches since 2019. He also has rushed for 1,218 yards and 21 touchdowns in 97 games.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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