49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall will undergo knee surgery and miss the season.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall will undergo surgery on his right knee and miss the remainder of the season, marking another setback for the team’s 2024 first-round pick. General manager John Lynch announced Saturday that Pearsall has decided to have surgery to repair his posterior cruciate ligament. The injury occurred last season, and Pearsall returned to play toward the end of the campaign. However, he was sidelined after two practices during training camp due to swelling in the knee. The 49ers confirmed that former Pro Bowl player Deebo Samuel has returned to the team under a one-year contract worth up to $7 million to fill the void left by Pearsall’s absence. Pearsall has shown flashes of brilliance when healthy but has struggled to stay on the field since being selected with the 31st overall pick in 2024. He missed much of the rookie training camp due to a shoulder injury and suffered a gunshot wound in an attempted robbery just before the start of that season. Pearsall returned and recorded 31 receptions for 400 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games. He was limited early last summer by a hamstring tendon injury but started the season strongly, registering 20 receptions for 327 yards in his first four games before suffering a knee injury in Week 4. Pearsall missed the following six games and had just five receptions for 20 yards in his first three games back. He then managed six receptions for 96 yards in the subsequent game against Tennessee before aggravating his knee injury. He missed two of the final three regular-season games and the opening playoff game before being largely absent in a loss to Seattle in the Divisional Round. Over two seasons, Pearsall has accumulated 67 receptions for 928 yards and three touchdowns in 20 games. His limited playing time makes it unlikely the team will exercise its fifth-year option for 2028 this spring. The 49ers bolstered their receiving corps by signing free agent Mike Evans in March and selecting De’Zhaun Stribling in the second round in April. They are also bringing back Samuel after he spent last season with the Washington Commanders. Interim coach Chris Foerster said Friday that when the ball is in Samuel’s hands, there are many special things he can do. “We’ll find as many different ways as possible to put the ball in his hands so he can impact the game in a special way,” Foerster said. Samuel spent his first six seasons with the 49ers after being drafted in the second round in 2019. He helped the team reach the Super Bowl twice and earned All-Pro honors in 2021, when he amassed 1,770 yards after the catch and 14 touchdowns. Samuel was traded to Washington in 2025 in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick and had 72 receptions for 727 yards and five touchdowns with the Commanders last season. He became a free agent in March and now joins the 49ers to provide depth while Pearsall is out. Samuel has 406 receptions for 5,519 yards and 27 touchdowns in his career and has been one of the most dynamic players after the catch in the NFL. His average of 8.7 yards after the catch on catches ranks first among all receivers with at least 100 receptions since 2019. He has also rushed for 1,218 yards and 21 touchdowns in 97 games.