49ers rookie will 'absolutely' play this season despite life-threatening scare

John Lynch indicated 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall will 'absolutely' play this season despite recently being shot in an attempted robbery last week.

The San Francisco 49ers came this close to experiencing a massive tragedy with one of their more promising players, rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.

Pearsall was shot in the chest last week in San Francisco in an alleged robbery attempt but managed to walk under his own power to the ambulance, prompting plenty of credit to the first responders who aided him in the immediate aftermath.

Somehow, the first-round NFL Draft pick out of Florida avoided catastrophic damage to his internal organs and is expected to make a quick and full recovery.

Even more incredible, Pearsall was back at Niners practice just days after the incident, albeit just in attendance, as the team placed him on the non-football injury list, which means he'll miss at least four weeks while recovering.

General manager John Lynch, who visited Pearsall in the hospital, recently told KNBR 680's Murph & Markus Show (h/t 49ers Webzone) about how eager the first-year wideout was to return to action, even asking whether or not he could play in San Francisco's regular-season opener against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football.

While that's out of the question, Lynch said Pearsall would be taking the field this season.

"Absolutely, he's going to play this year," Lynch said on the show. "We're going to give him the time to do it, when it's right for him, and that's physically, mentally, emotionally. But I can tell you he's doing really well."

It's tremendous news, not just for Lynch and the Niners but also Pearsall and his family. And while the process could be slow, it's nothing short of a miracle the promising rookie will actually be able to play at some point in 2024.

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