No one can question Ricky Pearsall's toughness—not after how the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver responded to being shot in the chest this past weekend. Pearsall returned to the team this week, already pushing forward with his recovery.
"I still think I could play versus the Jets," Pearsall told head coach Kyle Shanahan shortly after the incident.
Of course, that won't happen, and the 49ers knew it. Eventually, Pearsall accepted it, too. San Francisco placed the rookie wideout on the non-football injury (NFI) list, making him ineligible for the 49ers' first four games. Still, Pearsall hopes to be ready whenever he is called to contribute.
"It's kind of been amazing, just watching him," Shanahan told reporters on Thursday during his first opportunity to publicly address the situation. "I mean, getting to see him Sunday, Monday, for him to be able to walk around and stuff, with that happening, and talking to people at the ER, saying out of like 100 people, two people have survived that. And to be able to see him the next day and he's able to walk, he's coming to meetings, he's doing all that."
#49ers rookie WR Ricky Pearsall out watching practice today as his team goes through individual drills… pic.twitter.com/yk3rfsYtPT
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) September 5, 2024
Shanahan admitted that hearing the initial news on Saturday was emotionally difficult. The hardest part was not knowing the extent of the injury or even to which hospital Pearsall had been taken.
The coach was relieved when Pearsall FaceTimed him shortly afterward.
"It was really amazing because that hour, when you hear about a shooting, we didn't know where it was or anything," Shanahan shared. "So you just assumed the worst. Then, to hear it was in the chest, you don't think that usually goes that well. Then, to actually get to talk to him like 15 minutes after that, and just talked to a guy that seems like he's okay."
Shanahan revealed that the bullet entered Pearsall's chest about two inches below a tattoo of praying hands. The fact that Pearsall walked to the ambulance, was released from the hospital on Sunday, and returned to the team facility the next day reaffirmed his toughness.
"He's as tough a person I know, just going through a situation like that," Shanahan said. "We always felt this way watching him on the football field and things like that, but kind of to watch how he handled that situation, and watch how he's been every day since, it shows how special of a guy he is."
Shanahan on Aiyuk's and Williams' returns
This was also the first time Shanahan addressed the media since the 49ers signed wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and tackle Trent Williams to new deals. The coach is thrilled to have both stars back ahead of Week 1's matchup against the New York Jets.
"It could have gone a number of directions," Shanahan said of Aiyuk. "There was times that he possibly could be traded. There was times he could possibly be here. That was hard about the whole negotiation thing. And that is what made it different than usual. We'd never gone through it being so close both ways for it to end up working out here."
With the contract standoff behind them, the focus is now back on football and making another run at a championship.
"In the beginning, we wanted him here, B.A. wanted to be here, and we all wanted to make that work out," Shanahan continued. "And really, in the end, that was still the case. And you got to go through that, and make sure you're talking to people as humans, and both sides need to understand when you're talking that way, you're not negotiating. You're trying to tell each other how you truly feel. And when that is the same way as it was six months before that, those things are easy to get over."
Shanahan admitted that the standoff with Williams lasted longer than he had hoped, commenting, "I thought it would end up being faster but it got more frustrating the last week because ... I want guys here. I want to prepare the guys for the season. And you only can do so much on your own. But the bottom line is they're here, and we got a long season ahead of us, and I'm pumped to have them for Week 1."
Team captains
Shanahan and the 49ers announced the eight team captains for the 2024 season. They are defensive end Nick Bosa, linebacker Fred Warner, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, tight end George Kittle, running back Christian McCaffrey, quarterback Brock Purdy, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, and tackle Trent Williams.
Your 2024 Team Captains ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/4n0gJ0EVBp
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 5, 2024
QB depth chart revealed
Shanahan also revealed the 49ers' quarterback depth chart for the 2024 season. Brandon Allen won the QB2 job over Josh Dobbs, so the order will be: Purdy, Allen, and Dobbs.
