Ricky Pearsall will wear No. 1 for the 49ers
Deebo Samuel is now a member of the Commanders, but there will still be a player wearing No. 1 catching passes for the 49ers this season.
Deebo Samuel is now a member of the Commanders, but there will still be a player wearing No. 1 catching passes for the 49ers this season.
A video the team posted on social media on Tuesday showed wide receiver Ricky Pearsall wearing the number during a workout. The team confirmed to Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com that Pearsall will be ditching No. 14 in favor of the digit he wore while playing for the University of Florida.
Pearsall was a 2024 first-round pick, but his rookie year got off on the wrong foot when he was shot just before the start of the regular season. He returned to post 31 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games and offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said recently that the wideout's view of himself as No. 1 isn't limited to his jersey.
"I think Ricky sees himself as a starter," Kubiak said, via 49ersWebzone.com. "He wants to be a starting receiver. And whether [Brandon Aiyuk's] out there or not, I think Ricky has that same expectation of himself, and that we wouldn't want it any other way. That's how he saw himself last year. And I think that's just how he is naturally."
With Samuel gone and Aiyuk's return date from a torn ACL uncertain, there's a lot of space for Pearsall to take on a bigger role in Year Two.
