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49ers Put Pearsall on IR, Sign Deebo Samuel

8/1/2026

42 9 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch announced that wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is on season-ending injured reserve.
Pearsall will have surgery in weeks to fix a posterior cruciate ligament injury from Week 4, 2025.
Recovery is projected at six to 12 months, with nine months realistic for a 2027 training camp.
The 49ers signed veteran wideout Deebo Samuel to a one-year, up-to-$7 million contract to replace Pearsall.

History

Historical Context

After Randy Moss tore his ACL in 2008, the New England Patriots placed him on injured reserve, freeing about $5 million in cap space that funded veteran wideout Troy Brown’s one-year deal. The move mirrored the Patriots’ 2007 cap-restructuring that enabled the Moss trade, and the 49ers’ 2025 IR signing of Ricky Pearsall for Deebo Samuel shows the league’s pattern of swapping injured stars for short-term veterans.

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Story summary

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch announced that wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is on season-ending injured reserve.
Pearsall will have surgery in weeks to fix a posterior cruciate ligament injury from Week 4, 2025.
Recovery is projected at six to 12 months, with nine months realistic for a 2027 training camp.
The 49ers signed veteran wideout Deebo Samuel to a one-year, up-to-$7 million contract to replace Pearsall.

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