[Ricky Pearsall](https://www.nfl.com/players/ricky-pearsall/)’s 2026 season is over before it began.
Pearsall will undergo knee surgery and miss the entire upcoming campaign, general manager John Lynch announced Saturday.
The team placed Pearsall on injured reserve Saturday.
Pearsall began experiencing issues with his knee during the first week of camp, aggravating an injury he’d initially suffered during the 2025 season and dealing with resulting swelling that caused concern within the organization. A few days later, the worst possible outcome became reality, landing Pearsall on IR and sending him toward PCL surgery and a lengthy recovery.After missing eight games due to the knee injury and recovering during the offseason, Pearsall entered camp with optimism, returning to a receiving corps that added six-time Pro Bowler [Mike Evans](https://www.nfl.com/players/mike-evans/) in March. On paper, Pearsall was returning to the best scenario of his NFL career, one that should have afforded him an excellent opportunity to produce.
Instead, health challenges derailed him again. Â
Saturday’s news deals a crushing blow to Pearsall’s NFL journey, which has been riddled with health-related challenges from the start. The 2024 first-round pick was [shot in the chest](https://www.nfl.com/news/niners-wr-ricky-pearsall-shot-during-attempted-robbery-in-san-francisco) during an armed robbery near San Francisco’s Union Square in August 2024, delaying his debut until mid-October. In 2025, he battled hamstring and knee injuries, limiting him to 10 games (including playoffs).
The former University of Florida star will now miss the entirety of his third season, beginning a recovery journey that includes a projected timetable of 6-12 months.
With a potential roster void looming, San Francisco moved quickly to address the need at receiver, [reuniting](https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-network-deebo-samuel-reuniting-with-49ers-on-1-year-7-million-deal) with veteran receiver [Deebo Samuel](https://www.nfl.com/players/deebo-samuel/) via a one-year deal near the end of the work week. The team officially announced the signing Saturday, providing coach Kyle Shanahan with a familiar face and short-term solution.
