Ricky

Pearsall

49ers GM John Lynch told reporters Pearsall would have surgery on his PCL. A year after knee injuries limited him to nine games, Pearsall will miss the entire 2026 season. It’s a tough blow for the receiver who turns 26 next month. The 49ers were able to bring back Deebo Samuel already to address the loss of Pearsall. For early Pearsall drafters, unfortunately the worst fears about his knee injury came to be.

Maiocco’s exact phrasing is a bit wordy, but he says, “it’s reasonable, rational, logical, for the 49ers to not expect Ricky Pearsall to make any contribution in 2026.” Pearsall is dealing with the same PCL tear that plagued him last year. The team reportedly believed it would heal this offseason. It apparently did not. The team is trying to determine whether he must undergo surgery to correct the issue. If so, he will miss the 2026 season. For those wondering why he did not undergo surgery earlier this offseason, Maiocco says the required recovery timeline would “probably” have caused him to miss the 2026 season anyway. If they delay the surgery this time around, his 2027 season could be impacted. Regardless of which path they choose, we hope Pearsall enjoys a swift, successful recovery. He should probably be avoided in fantasy drafts at this time.

The swelling is believed to be related to the PCL injury he dealt with last year. That he is still dealing with a lingering issue from 2025 after missing much of his rookie season for other reasons is more than a little concerning for fantasy managers. Christian Kirk is also being held out of practice right now, meaning rookie De’Zhaun Stribling seemingly has the inside track for No. 2 duties right now. With no timeline for his return, Pearsall should tumble down draft boards in the coming days. Stribling, on the other hand, is firmly in the FLEX mix, even in redraft leagues.

Unsurprising given that he entered this week looking like he was one big hit from being sidelined again as he continues to battle through the knee injury that defined his season. After a breakout first three weeks where he crossed 100 yards twice, Pearsall spent the rest of the season dealing with a PCL injury and never seemed fully healthy again. We wouldn’t be surprised if he pops up with an offseason surgery. Nevertheless, his age-26 season in 2026 looks to be in a great spot if he can rehab this and get to Week 1 healthy. Brandon Aiyuk looks likely to be released. George Kittle will be rehabbing his torn Achilles early in the season. Jauan Jennings is not a guarantee to be back. Pearsall looks like a WR2 candidate as one of the trustable targets in a Kyle Shanahan offense. “Get to Week 1 healthy,” of course, is not a minor ask for Pearsall based on his first two seasons.

Pearsall was questionable coming into the game, but he had been getting in limited practices, so he had been trending towards playing. It’s a nice boost for a 49ers offense that will be without George Kittle (Achilles). The 49ers inactives are: S Ji’Ayir Brown, RB Isaac Guerendo, WR Jordan Watkins, DE Robert Beal Jr., DT Kevin Givens, DT Sebastian Valdez, and OT Brandon Parker.

Pearsall has been practicing in a limited capacity this week. He was entirely unable to practice last week, so the increased participation is a positive sign. Pearsall aggravated the PCL sprain in his knee at the end of a 30-yard play against the Bears in Week 18. He told reporters that he “landed straight on [his] knee,” and he “just can’t take tackles like that right now.” Instead, he must “adjust a little bit within [his] game.” Getting out of bounds would have been the “wiser move.” Pearsall is seemingly on track to play, but he may be stuck running vertical routes along the sideline.

Pearsall is listed as limited for the second straight day to start the week. He missed the 49ers’ Wild Card win over the Eagles and has dealt with knee issues throughout the season. Thursday’s final practice report will give a more concrete answer but Pearsall is at least practicing and trending to return in the Divisional Round against the Seahawks.

The San Francisco Standard’s David Lombardi adds that Pearsall “plans to operate at full speed during practice today.” Lombardi’s wording is tricky to parse. The 49ers used GPS tracking to determine whether Pearsall had returned to form before allowing him to resume playing earlier this year. Lombardi could be referencing this, or whether Pearsall is restricted in his practice participation level. We will check back later today. Stay tuned.

It will be a walkthrough, and coaches do not have a perfect record of what they say winding up being the injury report truth. Still, it’s a good sign for Pearsall’s availability against the Seahawks in the Divisional Round to have any momentum towards the limited line after three straight DNPs and a wishful thinking questionable tag. Pearsall has not played since Week 17.

Pearsall was listed as questionable on Friday but did not practice once this week, meaning he was always a long shot to suit up. Demarcus Robinson will continue to operate as the team’s No. 2 receiver opposite Jauan Jennings this week.