The San Francisco 49ers may have a very different looking wide receiver room next season. No matter what, the Niners will be counting on Ricky Pearsall to stay healthy, and just one play from last season shows what he brings to the offense.
A unique view of a pass from quarterback Brock Purdy to Pearsall in Week 1 of the 2025 regular season against the Seattle Seahawks was recently shared on social media.
The play can be viewed below:
This Brock Purdy throw to Ricky Pearsall is poetry in motion. Make or break season coming up for Pearsall https://t.co/jiW2LEWL11 pic.twitter.com/h6C1ZtmDkI
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) February 21, 2026
This play occurred in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. San Francisco was down three points with under three minutes left in the contest, and Purdy delivered a beautiful pass to Pearsall down the sideline for 45 yards.
The play got the Niners into field-goal range and eventually led to the go-ahead score on a touchdown to tight end Jake Tonges.
That memorable snag from Tonges doesn't happen without the deep pass to Pearsall, and the 49ers missed that explosive element for much of the season.
Pearsall looked so good in San Francisco's first four weeks last season. He had 108 yards in Week 1, and through Week 4, he had 327 receiving yards on the year and appeared to be on his way towards a breakout season.
Yet, a recurrent PCL injury popped up in Week 4 and kept the second-year receiver out until Week 11. He had some flashes in the final weeks of the season, but that knee injury limited him, and he was a non-factor in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, injuries have defined Pearsall's first two NFL seasons. Luck has not been on his side at all, and he has been limited to 20 games in his first two seasons.
Despite this, there is a greater than zero possibility that Pearsall ends up being the top receiver on the depth chart entering next season. If the Niners lose some pieces and are unable to add a lot of talent to make up for those losses, they may have no other choice than to roll with Pearsall as their top guy.
That would not be so scary if Pearsall had a history of being on the field, but that is simply not the case.
It's a shame because that play in Week 1 was Pearsall's longest catch of the season and without him, and even with him at less than 100%, the team really didn't have a down-the-field threat.
That really limited the team's offense especially in the final few games of the year when the offense struggled against Seattle's stout defense.
It is a big if, but if the 49ers can get 17 games of a healthy Pearsall next season that could completely transform the offense.