Report: If Ricky Pearsall requires surgery, it will keep him out for all of 2026

49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is out of practice due to swelling in his knee related to the PCL injury he suffered during the 2025 season and the 49ers said on Wednesday that they are considering all options to address the injury.

One of those options would be a surgical procedure and going that route would reportedly lead to a long absence for the 2024 first-round pick. Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com said on KNBR that Pearsall will miss the entire season if the injury requires a surgical fix.

Maiocco said that Pearsall and the 49ers “made a calculated attempt to hope that thing would heal on its own” this offseason, but the swelling after a few days of practice suggests that the injury did not heal as hoped. He also notes that Pearsall likely would have missed the season if he had surgery in March and that further time spent waiting to see if it heals on its own that still leads to surgery could impact Pearsall’s availability and/or readiness for the 2027 campaign.

None of that creates much confidence that Pearsall will be contributing to the 49ers this fall. It also makes the need for second-round pick De’Zhaun Stribling to contribute right out of the gate that much greater for the 49ers.