NFL
A Moment of Silence for a Fallen Star and True Warrior! as 49ers’ Ricky Pearsall Passes Away, Leaving Fans and Teammates in Devastation.
A Moment of Silence for a Fallen Star and True Warrior! as 49ers’ Ricky Pearsall Passes Away, Leaving Fans and Teammates in Devastation.
Nearly three months later, the San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver often reflexively looks over his shoulder when he’s walking alone. Other unsettling moments trigger flashbacks to the afternoon of Aug. 31.
“I was just talking to one of my teammates earlier about it,” Pearsall said to the Chronicle on Wednesday. “Certain things pop up and it’s kind of like, ‘Whoa, that kind of reminds me of that situation.’ It puts goosebumps on my arms.”
Pearsall isn’t done dealing with trauma after he was shot in the chest in a robbery attempt in Union Square. He’s spoken with multiple therapists provided by the team, and he doesn’t know when his unseen damage will heal.
However, the most intense emotions Pearsall has experienced since the shooting haven’t involved anxiety or fear. Those feelings persist, but they so often get subsumed by his sense of peace and calm. It’s a tranquility that he oddly first felt when he didn’t know whether he was about to die after a bullet tore through the right side of his chest and exited through his back, leaving him bleeding profusely near the corner of Geary Street and Grant Avenue.
Pearsall spoke Wednesday in detail for the first time about the aftermath of his shooting and the serenity he says he has felt from a higher power. After he made his NFL debut in a loss to the Chiefs on Oct. 20, Pearsall mentioned receiving signs that he viewed as the “presence of God,” saying that was a “whole separate story.”
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This week, Pearsall often smiled and shook his head in wonder as he unspooled that story.
Pearsall, who is Catholic, was lying in the street when Sgt. Joelle Harrell, a devout Catholic, began praying for him after she pressed his T-shirt against the wound in his chest and used her baseball cap to create pressure on his exit wound in his back. The bullet had struck a few inches below Pearsall’s tattoo of praying hands.
Pearsall recalls “freaking out” and frantically asking Harrell if he was going to survive. She offered reassurance and said she was going to pray for him, which Pearsall didn’t initially welcome.
“I was just like, ‘Am I going to live?’ – I wasn’t worried about prayer at that moment,” Pearsall said. “But she started and something just took over me and I felt relaxed. I’m bleeding everywhere. I mean, this s- just happened. But we were just hugging, she was praying and I felt such a calmness that things were going to be OK, even though I didn’t know in the moment.
“We were still waiting on the ambulance and the other officer that was there was saying that we needed to hurry up. The spot where the bullet wound was – they were worried about it. It was ‘hurry up and get him to the hospital.’ But I just felt so relaxed even though I didn’t know the outcome.”
Pearsall remained calm by silently praying in the ambulance en route to San Francisco General Hospital.
“I just kept saying, ‘Please, Lord, it’s not my time,’” Pearsall said. “It is all in his timing, but I just felt in that moment that he had me.”
At the hospital, Pearsall was swiftly taken to the ICU. His room number, 14, matched his jersey number. Pearsall was confused: Did they know he played for the 49ers? He quickly discovered it was a coincidence, although he viewed it as a sign that he was being watched over.
“I was like, ‘Are you doing this because I’m No. 14? Can you say that again?’” Pearsall said. “‘Room No. 14, that’s crazy. That means more than you think.’”
The bullet went through Pearsall’s chest at an angle and exited the side of his back. He survived, was discharged the next morning and made his NFL debut 50 days later because it didn’t strike vital organs or nerves and passed through an area between two ribs. A doctor traced the bullet’s journey on a whiteboard for Pearsall and his family and admitted she couldn’t explain its improbable course.
“She said, ‘I’ve never seen a bullet path like this. I’m not a religious person, but something like this would make me religious,’” Pearsall said. “For me, that was a very impactful moment.”
Pearsall’s experience has deepened his faith, which has helped him cope with trauma. He also credits support he has received from the 49ers and his teammates, and returning to the field has also been therapeutic.
Not that the first four games of his NFL career have been easy. Pearsall has 11 catches for 132 yards and scored his first touchdown on a 46-yard catch in a 23-20 win at Tampa Bay on Nov. 10. However, he didn’t have a reception while playing 37 snaps in a 20-17 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday that dropped the 49ers to 5-5 on the season.
Pearsall hasn’t lost his competitive fire, but he acknowledged nearly losing his life has provided perspective on losses and professional failure.
“I care about this game so much to the point where sometimes it does drive me crazy when I’m not playing up to my potential or we’re losing some games that we should be winning,” Pearsall said. “But when I put it into perspective of what I’ve been through and the understanding that there’s a lot more life outside of the game, it kind of keeps me calm in a way and it gets me back to being myself. And I think I’m the best version of myself when I keep that perspective.”
Pearsall has felt like the best version of himself more often recently due to the worst moment of his life. But that doesn’t mean the shooting didn’t create wounds that still require healing.
Still, even in those scary moments when he’s walking by himself, Pearsall’s fears can be quieted because he has faith, a belief strengthened by a prayer, a bullet path and even a room number that have told him that he’s not alone.
Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis Announces Major Decision on Pending Fifth-Year Options
The Saints announced their decisions on Chris Olave and Trevor Penning’s fifth-year options.
The New Orleans Saints have announced their decisions regarding the fifth-year options for wide receiver Chris Olave and tackle Trevor Penning.
General Manager Mickey Loomis held a pre-draft press conference on Wednesday. While Loomis emphasized he would only answer questions on the upcoming draft, he eventually caved and answered about the team’s pending fifth-year option decisions.
Loomis confirmed the Saints will pick up star wide receiver Chris Olave’s fifth-year option, but decline tackle Trevor Penning’s.
Olave has been a bright spot on the Saints’ offense, posting two 1,000-yard seasons in his first three years. Despite the star wide receiver’s production since entering the league, there was uncertainty if New Orleans would pick up his option due to injuries. Olave has suffered four confirmed concussions in his NFL career, including two during the 2024 season.
Tackle Trevor Penning had a rough start to his career. From seeing minimal action as a rookie to being benched in his second year, it was always likely Penning’s option could be declined.
However, Penning showed growth after making a switch from left tackle to right tackle. While not flawless, Penning was able to start the entire 2024 season. He showed the potential to be a starting tackle for the Saints’ future with dominating reps over pass rushers.
Declining Penning’s option doesn’t mean he can’t be a part of the team’s future and Loomis made it clear by stating “that doesn’t mean we don’t love Trevor and expect him to be part of our team going forward.” The Saints want to see another season of growth from the young tackle in 2025 and a possible extension could be worked out before he hits free agency in 2026.
By picking up Olave’s option, the Saints are showing a commitment to keeping one of their core young pieces rostered and working towards a potential extension. With New Orleans likely to start a young quarterback in 2025, retaining a reliable target like Olave could be a key piece of development for the young passer.
NFL
“He is the best” Saints Ready to Make Massive Trade Deal for Star Running Back Alvin Kamara Replacement
“He is the best” Saints Ready to Make Massive Trade Deal for Star Running Back Alvin Kamara Replacement
Throughout his eight years with the New Orleans Saints, running back Alvin Kamara has solidified himself as one of the best at his position, being named to five Pro Bowls and Second-Team All-Pro twice.
Last season, he rushed 228 times for 950 yards and six touchdowns, while adding 68 receptions for 543 yards and two touchdowns.
However, Kamara will be 30 years old by the start of the 2025 season, and that’s why, in a Fox Sports mock draft, Henry McKenna predicts the Saints will trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, moving from No. 9 to No. 5 to select Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty.
“New Saints coach Kellen Moore just came from an Eagles offense that changed after Saquon Barkley arrived,” McKenna wrote. “Jeanty is the best running back prospect since Barkley. So it’s a perfect match.”
There’s no doubt that Jeanty is an extremely talented player, finishing runner-up in Heisman Trophy voting in 2024 after racking up 2,601 rushing yards (second-most in FBS history) and 29 touchdowns on 374 attempts.
Of course, there’s a belief he could immediately come in and be many teams’ top running back option, but that wouldn’t be necessary with the Saints as Kamara is under contract through the 2026 season as part of his two-year, $24.5 million extension.
That means if this scenario did become a reality and the Saints moved on from Kamara when that deal is up, Jeanty would still have three seasons, including the fifth-year option, left in his rookie contract with the team.
BREAKING: Shedeur Sanders makes final decision Over New Orleans Saints move
Will Shedeur Sanders end up with the Saints?
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr could potentially miss the entire 2025 season with a shoulder injury. This injury has turned up the urgency on the Saints to find a franchise quarterback in the NFL Draft.
Among all the quarterback prospects the Saints could pursue, Colorado signal caller Shedeur Sanders is the best option available. A lot of experts expect the Saints to select Sanders at pick No. 9 in the first round of the draft.
NFL Spinzone’s Lou Scataglia recently put together a mock draft for the NFL Draft. Scataglia predicted the Colorado signal caller would land with the Pittsburgh Steelers at pick No. 21 rather than with the Saints.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers being able to grab Shedeur Sanders at pick 21 would be the ideal scenario,” Scataglia wrote. “The biggest threat to the Steelers quest to take Sanders, if that is what they want, is a team leap-frogging them with a trade up to the 20th pick, for example. Well, that did not happen in this mock draft, as Steelers GM Omar Khan is able to stay put and take who they hope to be their franchise QB.”
In this mock draft, Scataglia has the Saints passing up on Sanders at pick No. 9. With him falling all the way to pick No. 21, the Saints could explore a trade up scenario in this situation.
Either way, missing out on Sanders would be quite a disaster for the Saints, but there’s almost no chance the Steelers would pass up on the superstar prospect.
“Everyone’s time comes to an end’ Former Saints LB Blast Derek Carr after shoulder injury news
The New Orleans Saints were thrown quite the curveball over the weekend when it was reported that Derek Carr’s 2025 season could be in jeopardy due to a shoulder injury he suffered. It’s worth noting that even before Carr’s injury came into play, the Saints were likely considering taking a quarterback in the first round.
That has led some fans to speculate if perhaps Carr simply didn’t want to play mentor and is saying he’s too injured so that he doesn’t have to be in that role this year or compete with the rookie signal-caller that gets drafted. Former Saints linebacker Scott Shanle touched on this in a recent social media post and unleashed on Carr.
“My two cents about Derek Carr shoulder injury news. If he’s pouting because the Saints are gonna look for a young QB in the draft he’s too thin skinned to be your quarterback and the guys in that locker room deserve better. A competitive person would say it’s time to play so well the young guy won’t touch the field anyways. Nothing is promised to anyone in the NFL. Everyone’s time comes to an end. Nobody is owed anything.
If really injured should be at facility and surrounded by surgery specialists today!
Mrs Benson didn’t pay you 40 million dollars a year to do car reviews on YouTube.
Tough times will always reveal a man’s character.”
Scott Shanle doesn’t hold back when voicing opinions on Derek Carr injury saga
Now it’s worth noting that we don’t know for certain what’s going on here. Saints fans are pretty fed up with Carr so jumping to the conclusion that he’s done with the team and doesn’t want to help mentor a young quarterback could be a result of that frustration. That being said, Shanle speaking up on the matter puts it more into focus and he didn’t mince words here.
The part that really jumped out at me here was “A competitive person would say it’s time to play so well the young guy won’t touch the field anyways” and that’s so true. These guys are crazy competitive and we’ve seen in the past how veteran quarterbacks play their tails off after their team drafts a guy to prove they’re not done yet. Shanle’s comment makes it sound as though Carr does not fall into that category. If Carr is truly injured, however, then playing is not an option for him.
This is just another chapter in the ‘Derek Carr was a bad signing’ book and hopefully soon, the Saints can move on from the situation. Maybe they’ll even find their franchise quarterback in this draft and can move on a lot faster.
INCOMING: Saints Ready to Steal $72 Million Superstar From Dolphins In Massive Trade deal
The New Orleans Saints have made strides in the right direction over the last year or so, but their roster is still rather weak, specifically at cornerback. The Saints traded away Marshon Lattimore last season and opted to let Paulson Adebo walk in free agency this offseason.
Now, they need to turn the either the NFL Draft, trade block, or both in order to land a star defensive back. Luckily for New Orleans, the ideal option reportedly just landed on the trade block.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport recently reported that the Miami Dolphins and superstar cornerback Jalen Ramsey are mutually set to explore trade options for the star.
“The Dolphins and seven-time Pro Bowl CB Jalen Ramsey are mutually set to explore trade options and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he played elsewhere in 2025,” Rapoport wrote in a post to Twitter/X. “While there is no firm deadline on a possible trade, with the NFL Draft 9 days away, completing a trade prior to the draft would make sense — if only so Miami can use the pick or picks they would acquire for Ramsey.”
The Saints worked hard to fix their cap situation this offseason and acquiring Ramsey would take a step in the wrong direction on that front, but he’s a superstar cornerback with the ability to shut down some of the game’s best pass catchers.
The Saints need a No. 1 cornerback heading into next season and it likely wouldn’t cost a huge haul of draft picks to steal Ramsey from the Dolphins. If he’s as affordable as many expect him to be, it would be foolish for the Saints to not throw their name in the hat to land hi,.
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