49ers sign wide receiver Pearsall to four-year NFL contract originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
The 49ers have one less wide receiver to sign after first-round draft pick Ricky Pearsall signed his four-year rookie contract.
The team officially announced the signing on Friday morning.
The 49ers’ entire eight-player rookie class has already finalized their contracts ahead of the 2024 season.
All NFL rookie salaries are set based on their draft position, giving Pearsall a total value of $12.5 million over the four-year contract. The Florida product should continue to be heavily involved in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense after spending a formidable amount of time on the field during Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and mandatory minicamp.
With no news on the status of a potential Brandon Aiyuk contract extension, Pearsall could continue to receive a greater number of repetitions on the field, which will help with his transition to the NFL as well as building chemistry with quarterback Brock Purdy.
The rookie showed off his ability to catch passes from his new quarterback during on-field work before the team was dismissed for the summer break. Pearsall was on the field with Purdy as well as backup quarterbacks Brandon Allen and Josh Dobbs.
Until the return of Aiyuk, who has a contract until the 2024 season, Pearsall will join Deebo SamuelJauan Jennings, Ronnie Bell, Chris Conley, Danny Gray, Tay Martin and newcomers Jacob Cowing and Terique Owens on the field.
Shanahan, who has stayed out of contract negotiations, would always prefer players to participate in minicamp, but his opinion of Aiyuk hasn’t changed following the receiver’s notable absence in early June.
“You find out when guys are in those situations, whether they come or not,” Shanahan said during minicamp. “Some guys come because they want to avoid fines, and others don’t. When these guys come in, we know what the process is, we know what the business part is, and that’s how they decide how they want to handle this week.”
The wide receiver contract market is hot and will likely continue to be hot. Aiyuk may continue to hold out during training camp, but he won’t miss out on playing during a season that will earn him the biggest payday of his career, more than $14 million in his fifth season.
So while Aiyuk waits for a new contract, Pearsall has his first NFL contract and is ready to get to work.
