Pearson was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the twelfth round (298th overall) of the 1967 NFL/AFL draft, despite never playing a down of college football, after the team was impressed with his speed and athleticism.

[4] In 1968, he was moved to running back and became a captain of the special teams units after leading the league in kickoff returns with a 35.1-yard average.

On May 31, 1970, he was traded, along with defensive back Ocie Austin, to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for linebacker Ray May and a twelfth round draft choice (#294-Bobby Wuensch).

On September 19, 1975, after losing Calvin Hill and Walt Garrison, the Dallas Cowboys were looking for an experienced running back, so they signed Pearson as a free agent and in turn waived rookie quarterback Jim Zorn to make room for him on the roster.

[8] It has been noted that the acquisition of Pearson and the success of the Dirty Dozen draft were the key reasons that helped the team reach the Super Bowl that year.

He then went on to assist the Cowboys to a Super Bowl X appearance by catching 12 passes for over 200 yards and three touchdowns in their two playoff games, including a reception for 123 yards and three receiving touchdowns (tied a league record) against the heavily favored Los Angeles Rams in the NFC title game.

During his time with the Cowboys he was widely recognized as the player who defined the position of "third-down back", forcing defenses to use nickel schemes to assign a cornerback to cover him, or to double-team him.

Overall, Pearson gained 9,545 total yards and scored 33 touchdowns (17 rushing, 13 receiving, two kickoff returns and one fumble recovery).

Pearson also holds the distinction of being one of the few, if not the only, players to have been led by Don Shula, Chuck Noll, and Tom Landry — three of the greatest coaches in NFL history with eight Super Bowl titles among them.

Not only were his coaches Hall of Famers, but also his quarterbacks (Johnny Unitas, Terry Bradshaw, and Roger Staubach) and some of his fellow running backs (Lenny Moore, Franco Harris, and Tony Dorsett) are enshrined in Canton.

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