It is no secret to anyone the San Francisco 49ers will be looking to add wide receivers this offseason. That may mean retaining players who will be free agents, but it will also likely mean adding speed either in the NFL Draft or in free agency.
Niners legend Jerry Rice has given the Niners a blueprint for what to look for this offseason:
"We got to have a burner. We got to have someone that can take that layer off the top... Bill Walsh said, 'Hey, look, even if we don’t make this connection, we’re still going to throw it deep to let the opposing defense know that, hey, we’re not afraid to go deep.'"
Having a deep threat was sorely missed in San Francisco's offense in 2025. Part of that had to do with the Brandon Aiyuk situation, but it also had to do with Ricky Pearsall being injured most of the season and less than 100-percent healthy even when he was on the field.
The wideouts San Francisco relied on, guys like Jauan Jennings, Kendrick Bourne, and Demarcus Robinson, were not "burners."
Speed is going to be key as general manager John Lynch looks to address that deficiency next season.
49ers must heed Jerry Rice's advice about finding 'burner' WRs
Rice's point about Bill Walsh is important because we should not expect the 49ers to come out and be completing 50-yard passes every game next season. But, by simply taking the shot, the Niners can keep opponents honest and prevent themselves from becoming too predictable.
Part of why the Seattle Seahawks were able to dominate San Francisco in two of the final three games of the season was because they knew the 49ers were limited in what they could do, offensively. Part of that had to do with injuries, but that also has to do with the offense as a whole.
One hopes Pearsall will be healthy next season and develops into the deep threat the offense seeks, but that would be wishful thinking after injuries have defined his first two NFL seasons.
Jacob Cowing is another speedster, but he saw limited action in his rookie season and did not play at all in 2025 due to injury.
That likely means the 49ers will have to find a quick receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft. There are always fast guys in the draft, but the Niners have rarely connected on a speedy threat who turned out to be a solid contributor.
Danny Gray is a cautionary tale when it comes to the current Niners regime drafting quick wideouts.
Everyone knows what San Francisco has to do this offseason. Rice came right out and said it, and he certainly knows what he is talking about as the best wide receiver to ever do it.
Now, the Niners have to do the hard part and actually find an effective deep threat.