The outlook for Ricky Pearsall's 2026 season doesn't look promising following news of his injury flare-up. While the San Francisco 49ers are considering their options with the third-year receiver, NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco thinks Pearsall will require surgery that would cost him the entire year.
Pearsall has already been shut down at training camp after his right knee began swelling following the first few practices, an issue tied back to the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury that limited him to nine games in 2025. Maiocco explained that the team had hoped the PCL would heal on its own, as such injuries often do, but that hasn't happened.
"The idea was, or the thought would be, that it would heal on its own through the offseason,"
Maiocco. "And it doesn't appear as if that has happened after the first few days of training camp — which he ran all the routes, he wasn't limited in any fashion — he experienced swelling in that knee, and now it's kind of back to the drawing board. So, if surgery is required, he's going to miss the season. He's going to miss the entire season."
Maiocco added that the 49ers made a "calculated attempt" to let the knee heal naturally rather than operate earlier in the offseason, reasoning that surgery back in February or March likely would have cost Pearsall the season anyway. Now, with his third NFL season already in jeopardy, delaying a decision further risks bleeding into 2027 as well.
"At this point, I think it's reasonable, rational, logical for the 49ers to not expect Ricky Pearsall to make any contribution in 2026," Maiocco said.
"This doesn't look good... I think it's reasonable, rational, logical, for the 49ers to NOT expect Ricky Pearsall to make any contribution in 2026."@MaioccoNBCS says the Niners could be preparing for Ricky Pearsall to miss the entirety of the 2026 season.
— KNBR (@KNBR) July 30, 2026
(via @MarkusBoucher &… pic.twitter.com/35Q2IfXcVm
Pearsall, the 49ers' first-round pick in 2024, has never made it through a full season unscathed. He missed most of his rookie camp with a shoulder injury and was shot in an attempted robbery just before that season began, then battled a hamstring issue and the knee injury as a sophomore, finishing with 36 catches for 528 yards and no touchdowns across nine games in 2025.
His absence puts more weight on San Francisco's receiver room behind Mike Evans, and Maiocco pointed to rookie De'Zhaun Stribling — the No. 33 overall pick — as the player now poised to fill the void. The 49ers also have veteran Christian Kirk, who is battling an injury of his own, as well as Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins. The team worked out a few others following Pearsall's injury, and a reunion withveteran free agent Deebo Samuel can't be off the table, either.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers insider offers unfortunate prediction for Ricky Pearsall
