It didn’t take long for new 49ers teammates Kendrick Bourne and Ricky Pearsall to connect off the field.
Bourne sat down with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco on “49ers Talk” and explained how the connection developed as quickly as it did.
“Just having things in common: liking music, liking to dance,” Bourne told Maiocco. “He has a girlfriend, being in relationships, things like that we connected with. We got the same faith. It was just natural. The handshakes and stuff, we’re like the same kind of energy. It was just dope, man. I needed to be around someone like that. It definitely poured into my cup, and I know I’m pouring into his cup. It’s a good connection, because now, we’re always competing — to stay on the team, to have a role, but when you can disconnect the competing between each other and competing with other teams, then it’s stronger inside.
“We know we’re competing, so how do we disconnect that, and I think that’s how our connection is there. We know, ‘Hey, we want to play. We want all the catches. We want everything.’ But how do we remove that and become better teammates? I think that’s what we felt toward each other.”
Bourne, who spent his first four seasons with the 49ers, returned to San Francisco after signing a one-year deal with the organization this offseason.
Meanwhile, Pearsall, the No. 31 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was off to a promising sophomore breakout season until injuries sidelined him for the past three games.
Along the way, though, the two have had each other to lift their spirits and bounce off one another’s contagious energy.
With injuries and concerns throughout the receiver’s room and beyond, those positive vibes will be needed as San Francisco pushes forward in 2025.
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