49ers’ John Lynch Explains Difficult Ricky Pearsall Decision

The San Francisco 49ers have placed wide receiver Ricky Pearsall on the season-ending injured reserve on Saturday due to a posterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee.

Pearsall is expected to have surgery in the next couple of weeks, with a 6- to 12-month recovery time, likely putting him in a position to be ready to go next offseason ahead of training camp. General manager John Lynch voiced that the team was exploring all options before deciding on surgery.

“You obviously are doing your due diligence,” Lynch said via ESPN. “We reevaluated after [the season], and the consensus was that that wasn’t the step to take. He did well throughout the offseason, ran into some other road bumps. At that point between all the docs that we consulted … the decision was made. As [team physician] Tim [McAdams] said, it’s declared itself. And the course of action that everyone felt was appropriate was having surgery.”

Since entering the NFL, Pearsall has struggled to stay on the field in his first two seasons. He played in only nine games last year and was working through a PCL issue since Week 4 of the 2025 season.

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It’s an injury that he has had difficulty moving past, which bled into this offseason, pushing him to the point of needing surgery. It has also led the 49ers to add more depth to the wide receiver room by bringing back Deebo Samuel on a one-year deal worth up to $7 million, which should provide immediate impact next season.