San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is determined to make a second-year leap in 2025 following a strong finish to his rookie campaign. After missing the start of the 2024 season, Pearsall appeared in 11 games, recording 31 receptions for 400 yards and three touchdowns. Notably, he racked up 210 receiving yards over the final two games, demonstrating the kind of upside the 49ers are hoping to see more consistently this year.
Pearsall is expected to have a key role early in the season. With Deebo Samuel no longer on the roster and Brandon Aiyuk recovering from injury, Pearsall and Jauan Jennings are projected to be the starting wideouts when the 49ers open their 2025 campaign against the division-rival Seattle Seahawks. To succeed in that role, Pearsall knows the importance of building chemistry with quarterback Brock Purdy during the offseason.
"It's something that we just got to keep on working on," Pearsall said in an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area. "You can never get too comfortable with each other. Just continue to get on the same page and discuss and communicate different routes, different looks that we see, depending on what the defenses are doing, and different depths and alignments that I need to be on in certain routes. I've got to be on for him to just blindly throw the ball to me.
"And as far as building a relationship with him, like personally, just off the field stuff, communicating in the locker room, just enjoying each other. It's natural. It's never anything that I even think about or force."
The 49ers made a major investment in Purdy this offseason, signing him to a five-year, $265 million contract extension and officially solidifying him as the franchise quarterback. That decision sent a clear message—not just about the team's direction but also to players like Pearsall, who've watched Purdy go from the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to the face of the franchise.
"It's super motivating for everybody, I feel like," Pearsall shared. "But it's also something that he's deserved and worked through, just seeing his story, and becoming the last pick in the draft, all the way to being where he's at now, and seeing the tremendous jump that he's made.
"It's super inspiring to everybody, really. And we're just all proud of him, and we got his back just as much has he's got our back."
As the 49ers look to bounce back from a disappointing six-win season in 2024, the developing connection between Pearsall and Purdy could be one of the most important storylines to follow. If Pearsall continues his upward trajectory, the 49ers offense could be in for a strong showing.