Kyle Shanahan Confesses Giving Up on Ricky Pearsall as 49ers Announce New Offensive Coordinator

Just five days remained for the regular season, one shot, and all hopes lay on the ground. Kyle Shanahan‘s Niners picked Ricky Pearsall this year to join their wide receiver clan. But before the Florida State alum could debut, life threw a big curveball at him. While headed to an autograph signing event, Pearsall was just a few days away from his dream of playing in the biggest football league in America. But then a teenager shot the 24-year-old in the chest. And with that, the dream of a perfect rookie season was gone.

When everybody thought he wouldn’t be playing this season, Ricky Pearsall rose like a phoenix from the ashes. The 49ers may have had a disappointing season, but the NFL won’t forget the young rookie and his dedication to the game. After the season ended, coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch had high praise for their rookie WR. Eight weeks after the shooting, Pearsall stepped onto the gridiron against the Chiefs in Week 7. He looked nothing short of a hero as he walked onto the field.

Talking to the media during an end-of-season press conference, the Niners’ head coach revealed, “Gunshot wound kind of made me think that we were going to get nothing from him, just in terms of how could we and how hard that would be on him, but how quick he came back from that.”

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The Florida alum hauled in three catches for 21 yards in the Niners’ 28–18 loss to the Chiefs. (His first game). “..just to watch him go through rookie things in a live NFL game and stuff, and then to watch him come back from that stuff throughout the year and still hit a rookie wall without a foundation of an offseason and stuff like that. I thought it was a huge success for him this year,” added the HC. In his rookie season, Ricky Pearsall racked up 400 yards, snagged 31 receptions, and scored three touchdowns.

John Lynch, speaking to the media alongside Shanahan, added, “Ricky, one thing he said to me, Mr. Lynch, I just want to keep playing because I feel like I’m just getting my feet underneath me. So that’s really cool that he has that excitement. And he’s going to use that. I said, now the key is you use that to motivate you through this offseason. And the best players, they don’t ever take a rest.”

Honestly, folks, tip your hat out to this young guy for his contributions on the field despite everything he’s been through. As the 49ers wrap up their tough season, the team has announced their new offensive coordinator for the upcoming season.

Kyle Shanahan names the Niners’ new OCIt’s decided! The Lions’ offensive coordinator for this season, Ben Johnson, will say goodbye to the team after this season. Teams have been eyeing Johnson for a few years now. Last year, the Panthers approached him to become their head coach, but he declined their proposal. This year, the 38-year-old is ready to make his debut as an NFL head coach. Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer talked about the potential teams he could consider for his rookie season as a head coach. Breer thinks the Bears might be a perfect fit for him.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, “Lions OC Ben Johnson will interview for the Patriots and Bears head coaching jobs during this week’s bye — a sign he has a real interest in both jobs.”

As Kyle Shanahan gets ready for Johnson to leave, they’ve already picked their new OC. During the end-of-season press conference on Wednesday, Kyle and John Lynch announced that Klay Kubiak will take over the offensive coordinator role next season.

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“Kubiak’s role is gonna stay the same as it’s always been — offensive coordinator… Now he’ll just get the official title.” Klay and Kyle have known each other for years, with their dads working together. So, they’ve been familiar with each other for a long time now. On Sunday, in their last game of the season, Coach Shanahan handed the play-calling duties over to Klay.

Now that he’s stepping in as the offensive coordinator, it’ll be interesting to see what changes he brings next season.

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