San Francisco 49ers veteran wide receiver Chris Conley has not had a ton of action on offense this season.
That is why his selfless decision to give rookie Ricky Pearsall an opportunity in Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys was all the more special.
The most memorable play of Pearsall’s young NFL career up to that point came on the 39-yard run he had in Week 8 against Dallas. He took the ball on a reverse and got some great blocks from his teammates to get the ball into Cowboys territory.
It was part of a performance by Pearsall that established him as a legit weapon for the offense, one that paved the way for his memorable first touchdown a week later against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
What makes it even more remarkable is that Week 8 play almost did not even happen.
According to head coach Kyle Shanahan, the play was originally called for another Niners rookie, wide receiver Jacob Cowing. However, there was confusion, and the players were not lined up in the right spot. The veteran Conley realized the two rookies were not in the right position and told Pearsall that he should be the one to take the ball rather than him.
You can watch the play below and read Shanahan’s description of what happened, courtesy of Coach Yac on X:
Kyle Shanahan on Ricky Pearsall’s 39-yard run:
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) November 9, 2024
“The jet sweep was awesome. We called it for [Jacob] Cowing, and we had some confusion and they went the opposite ways. Yeah, so Chris Conley just ended up there. And Chris, being the mature grown-up of the group, he knew it was… pic.twitter.com/YlqwGVb6Xi
Not only did Conley let Pearsall take the handoff, he was also the receiver down field putting his body on the line to block for Pearsall.
That just speaks to the kind of teammate Conley is.
It is important to keep in mind that Conley has one catch for 4 yards on the season. He is a definite cut candidate whenever the Niners get guys back from injury or make roster moves. A guy in his position wouldn’t be blamed for taking an opportunity to get the ball in his hands when there is a miscommunication.
Yet, Conley knows he is no longer a spring chicken. He knows that Pearsall has more speed than he does and would have a better chance to make a big gain on the play. That is why he let the rookie get the opportunity while he did the dirty work of blocking for him.
Conley may not end the year with the Niners and may not catch another pass all season, but he should be commended for this. Selfless acts like these are what create winning football. It speaks to the selflessness of the offense as a whole that guys are willing to give up opportunities for the betterment of the team.
Maybe someday when Pearsall is a veteran in his own right he can pay it forward to a rookie in a similar situation.