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Christian McCaffrey

49ers To Place RB Christian McCaffrey On IR

September 14th, 2024 at 10:25pm CST by Ben Levine

Christian McCaffrey is officially out for at least the next month. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the 49ers are placing their star running back on injured reserve.

NFL Network Ian Rapoport says the team is hoping McCaffrey will be ready to play when first eligible in Week 6. That October 10th showdown with the Seahawks could end up marking the running back’s season debut, although ESPN’s Nick Wagoner cautions that it’s “no guarantee” that McCaffrey is ready by that date, and Rapoport added that CMC could be sidelined for six weeks, and possibly longer (video link).

McCaffrey was limited with calf issues during the preseason and the practices preceding Week 1, leading to him being a sudden inactive for the team’s season opener. It’s since been revealed that the RB is dealing with a serious case of Achilles tendinitis, although both the player and the team expressed some optimism that the star would be back for Week 2. At the very least, there was optimism that McCaffrey would only have to miss one more game.

However, the organization’s tone changed over the past 24 hours. Yesterday, coach Kyle Shanahan definitively ruled out McCaffrey for Week 2 while also admitting that an IR stint was a real possibility. Now, the team will be rolling without their top offensive weapon for at least the next four games.

Jordan Mason had a breakout performance while filling in for his star teammate. The running back finished Week 1 with 152 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown, and it sounds like the third-year back will continue to lead the depth chart.

The team actually didn’t give any carries to backups Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor, with wideout Deebo Samuel getting eight rushing attempts of his own. When asked about the receiver’s usage in the running game, Shanahan said it would be a “game by game proposition” (per Wagoner). The head coach also expressed trust in Guerendo and Taylor, so perhaps we’ll see more of the duo in the coming weeks.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/14/24

September 14th, 2024 at 8:06pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor transactions and gameday practice squad callups:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Patrick was among the Broncos’ final roster cuts after a Saints trade was discussed. The 30-year-old missed the 2022 and ’23 campaigns due to ACL and Achilles tears, respectively. Patrick did not need to wait long to find a new opportunity, though, quickly landing a practice squad deal with the Lions. He is now positioned make his season debut tomorrow as a complementary option in Detroit’s passing attack.

Olszewski is dealing with a groin injury and he was known to be facing a long-term absence. Today’s move thus comes as no surprise, but it ensures at least a four-week absence. The former All-Pro scored a punt return touchdown with Pittsburgh early last season and added another during his 10-game Giants stretch to close out the year. The team will need to rely on other options in the return game for the time being.

Christian McCaffrey Out For Week 2; 49ers Considering IR

September 13th, 2024 at 10:15pm CST by Ben Levine

SEPTEMBER 13: Shanahan said on Friday McCaffrey will not play in Week 2 after he was off the practice field altogether today. He said Thursday’s practice led to pain in the affected calf and Achilles area, so McCaffrey will be out for at least another game.

Concerningly, Shanahan added (via The Athletic’s Matt Barrows) San Francisco is, in fact, now considering injured reserve in this situation. Moving last year’s rushing champion to IR would sideline him until at least Week 6, though it would give him a longer period to heal in full. Mason will be in line for RB1 duties on Sunday at a minimum, but that could be the case for much longer.

SEPTEMBER 11: Christian McCaffrey missed the 49ers’ Week 1 win over the Jets thanks to his pesky Achilles/calf issues. Coach Kyle Shanahan has since specified that a bout of Achilles tendinitis has been the main contributor to the running back’s inconsistent status. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like McCaffrey will be sidelined for much longer, as Shanahan told reporters that the star player isn’t a candidate for injured reserve (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport).

[RELATED: 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey Inactive For Week 1]

While McCaffrey was listed as limited during today’s practice (per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero), the player is confident that he’ll be on the field for Week 2.

“My mentality is I’m playing this week,” McCaffrey said (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner). “That’s where I’m at. That’s how I am every week. I’m not lying. I think as soon as a player says, ‘maybe I’ll play, maybe I won’t,’ that’s not a good mentality to go into a week with when you’re kind of on the fence. For me, I’m ready to go.”

The player’s Week 1 absence inspired some controversy when fill-in Jordan Mason revealed that he learned of his RB1 role on Friday…days before the team announced McCaffrey’s inactive status. McCaffrey said there wasn’t any gamesmanship at play with the late call, as the RB said he hoped he could push through the injury until the last possible moment. McCaffrey said his pre-game workout didn’t go as he hoped, leading to the final decision (via Wagoner).

Mason filled in admirably for his All-Pro teammates, rushing for 147 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. Mason’s performance may ultimately convince the 49ers to sit McCaffrey for another week, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, although the reporter also believes the starter will do everything in his power to play.

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey Inactive For Week 1

September 9th, 2024 at 6:23pm CST by Ben Levine

Christian McCaffrey won’t be active for tonight’s showdown with the Jets. The team has announced that the star running back is inactive with his Achilles/calf issues. Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group was first to report the news.

McCaffrey was listed as questionable heading into the contest after being limited in practice with his leg issue. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo notes that the running back was optimistic that he’d be on the field for Monday Night Football, but McCaffrey tested his calf earlier today and determined that it “didn’t feel right.” Both the player and the team opted to take things slow with the hope that the running back will soon recover.

Injuries were a theme during McCaffrey’s final seasons in Carolina, but the running back has stayed relatively healthy over the past year-plus. The veteran has been active for all but one of the 49ers’ 34 games (including playoffs) since he joined the organization.

With McCaffrey out of the lineup, the 49ers will likely turn to Jordan Mason as their starting RB against the Jets. The former UDFA earned the RB2 role after Elijah Mitchell landed on IR, and Mason will now be in line for his first NFL start. The Georgia Tech product has appeared in 33 games with the 49ers over the past two seasons, collecting 495 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns.

Mason’s promotion to RB1 will also impact the rest of the depth chart. Patrick Taylor Jr. and fourth-round rookie Isaac Guerendo will be competing for any leftover RB snaps tonight. Guerendo is also expected to return kicks for the 49ers, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Deebo Samuel could also get some looks in the running game after averaging 46 rushing attempts per season between 2021 and 2023.

Latest On 49ers’ RB Situation

June 28th, 2024 at 12:23pm CST by Adam La Rose

Christian McCaffrey is set to continue as the focal point of the 49ers’ attack (as well as the standard-bearer for running back contracts) for the foreseeable future. Dialing down his workload is a team goal for 2024, though, and a number of other options exist to meet it.

McCaffrey’s 81% offensive snap share the led the league amongst running backs in 2023, and on three occasions last season he took the field for every offensive snap. The 28-year-old’s success both on the ground and in the passing game helped him earn Offensive Player of the Year honors along with a lucrative extension, but reducing his wear and tear is a reasonable concern from the 49ers’ perspective. Head coach Kyle Shanahan recently spoke about San Francisco’s backfield approach moving forward.

“We have guys that can run the ball,” Shanahan said, via The Athletic’s David Lombardi (subscription required). “We have to protect Christian from himself. He doesn’t like to ever come out no matter what the situation is and I do think that’s something we could protect him with more… [I]f he’s just taking the wear and tear with 20 carries and stuff every game – and he’s definitely good enough to do that and he has proved he can stay healthy – but you’d like to take some of that off of him and give it to other guys also.”

The 49ers have both Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason in place as experienced backup options, although injuries have been an issue for the former. Mitchell has been limited to 16 games and only 120 carries across the past two seasons, and like Mason he is a pending free agent. The fact both backs could depart in 2025 played a role in San Francisco’s decision to add rookies to the mix this spring.

That process included the selection of Isaac Guerendo in the fourth round of the draft. The Louisville product showcased high-end speed during his college career, one in which saw sparse usage between 2018-22 at Wisconsin. That lack of mileage could prove to be a benefit if he manages to carve out an offensive role early on with the 49ers. For now, though, Lombardi’s colleague Matt Barrows notes Guerendo’s likeliest path to playing time during his rookie season is as a kick returner.

San Francisco has benefited from McCaffrey remaining healthy during his time with the team so far, and with a contract tying him to the Bay Area through 2027 team and player will aim to avoid a recurrence of his Panthers-era injuries. It will be interesting to see how much the 49ers’ other backs are used this season with the aim of lessening McCaffrey’s burden in mind.

Latest On 49ers’ RB Depth

June 15th, 2024 at 12:50pm CST by Ben Levine

Christian McCaffrey‘s recent two-year extension with the 49ers all but assures that he’ll be on the roster through at least the 2026 season. However, there’s uncertainty surrounding the future of the team’s other RBs, and that likely influenced the front office’s approach to the offseason.

[RELATED: 49ers Extend RB Christian McCaffrey]

Elijah Mitchell (unrestricted) and Jordan Mason (restricted) are both set to hit free agency after the season. The duo’s expiring contracts ended up influencing the 49ers’ decision to trade up for fourth-round RB Isaac Guerendo and sign UDFA Cody Schrader, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.

Mitchell once seemed poised to take over the starting RB gig in San Francisco, as he collected 1,100 yards from scrimmage as a rookie. However, injuries limited him to only 16 games across the past two years, and with McCaffrey leading the depth chart, Mitchell has compiled only 581 yards over that two-year span. Mason, meanwhile, has averaged 5.6 yards on his 83 carries, and Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that the RB is a likely lock to make the 2024 squad.

Considering his draft status, Guerendo is also probably a lock to make the roster. After peaking with 500 yards at Wisconsin in 2022, the RB took it to another level at Louisville in 2023, collecting 1,044 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns. Schrader, a Missouri product, is probably destined for the practice squad, although he should be in line for a larger role in 2025. The odd man out in this equation would likely be Patrick Taylor, who got into 34 games with the Packers between 2021 and 2023.

While McCaffrey has been able to put together two-straight healthy seasons, the 49ers will surely be wary of his workload as he enters his age-28 season. With $24MM guaranteed over the next two seasons, the 49ers will want to be careful with their offensive star…which will put even more reliance on the rest of the team’s RB depth.

49ers Extend RB Christian McCaffrey

June 4th, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers’ acquisition of Christian McCaffrey brought in a high-priced running back with three-plus years remaining on his contract. McCaffrey has proven tremendously valuable for his second NFL team, and he entered the 2024 offseason with two seasons left on his Panthers-constructed deal.

McCaffrey and the 49ers have reached an agreement on a new contract that will tie the reigning rushing champion to the team beyond 2025. The 49ers are giving McCaffrey a two-year, $38MM extension, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports. This will now tether the dual-threat dynamo to San Francisco through 2027.

This represents a bump for the running back market, which McCaffrey had paced since his Carolina extension came to pass in April 2020. In addition to the eighth-year veteran moving beyond his $16MM-per-year number, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter adds he will see $24MM guaranteed on this 49ers agreement. McCaffrey will earn an additional $8MM over the deal’s first two years as well. No guarantees remained on McCaffrey’s previous contract.

McCaffrey, who will turn 28 later this week, had made it known internally he wanted a new deal, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. The former top-10 pick had stayed away from San Francisco OTAs. While that was not exactly cause for alarm regarding this relationship ahead of this week’s minicamp, the 49ers will act early on a player who has rewarded them the October 2022 pickup that required second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-round draft choices to complete.

Tuesday’s agreement also stands to drop CMC’s 2024 cap number, which stood at $14.1MM. Via a restructure, the 49ers had already included two void years in McCaffrey’s previous contract. This extension will help out on that front as well. Given the instability on the running back market over the past two offseasons, it is somewhat surprising to see a back reach $19MM-AAV territory. No other RB is tied to a deal worth more than $15MM per season.

The 2023 offseason removed a few high-priced RB contracts from the equation. The Cowboys and Vikings respectively cut Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook, and the Bengals and Packers respectively gave Joe Mixon and Aaron Jones pay cuts. The 2023 franchise tag deadline featured the three tagged RBs (Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard) not receiving extensions. McCaffrey was among those who voiced concerns about teams’ valuations of the position, and a Jonathan Taylor-Colts impasse took place. Since Taylor’s battle with his team, the market has shifted a bit. McCaffrey’s new deal follows Taylor’s $14MM-per-year extension and Barkley’s three-year, $37.5MM Eagles agreement.

San Francisco will use a $14.29MM signing bonus to spread out McCaffrey’s cap hits, and Florio adds a 2025 option bonus is in place. The team will guarantee $8.5MM of McCaffrey’s $14.25MM option bonus at signing. Beyond this $24MM guaranteed, the 49ers should still have some flexibility beyond 2025. McCaffrey’s deal includes a nonguaranteed 2026 option bonus ($10.55MM), per Florio, with a nonguaranteed $1.3MM 2026 base salary. CMC’s 2027 base ($16.85MM) is also nonguaranteed.

McCaffrey’s deal reminds of the Cardinals’ 2020 DeAndre Hopkins accord, as it raises a positional AAV ceiling for a player already signed for at least two more seasons. Hopkins received a $27.25MM-per-year extension, which tied him to the Cardinals for five total seasons. The former Arizona wideout collected the guaranteed money on that deal but was not with the Cardinals for the extension years, as the team cut him in 2023. Although signing bonus prorations will create some dead money if the 49ers opt to move on, this contract provides McCaffrey security for 2025 at the very least.

Following the 49ers’ whiff on the Jerick McKinnon signing in 2018, the team used low-cost RBs — Tevin Coleman, Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson among them — until presented with the opportunity to acquire McCaffrey at the 2022 deadline. Outbidding the Rams for CMC, the 49ers took a risk on a player who had missed much of the 2020 and ’21 seasons due to injury. McCaffrey has rewarded the 49ers’ faith, making two Pro Bowls and — after a season with 2,023 scrimmage yards and 21 touchdowns — winning the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year award.

Missing 23 games due to quad, hamstring, shoulder and ankle maladies from 2020-21, McCaffrey has managed to play all but one game since being traded; he missed only an inconsequential Week 18 contest last season. He has been a vital part of the 49ers’ success over the past two seasons, providing Brock Purdy unmatched versatility from the RB position. The 49ers will have a Purdy payment to consider, but a 2025 Purdy extension would still stand to align with this latest CMC payday. McCaffrey may be out of the picture by the time the QB’s lofty cap numbers (assuming a Purdy extension indeed comes to pass) surface. For now, the 49ers have rewarded their top offensive player during the final stages of Purdy’s rookie deal.

This agreement leaves the 49ers with one fewer offensive pillar with a contract year in 2025. Purdy, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel are scheduled for walk years in ’25, with Brandon Aiyuk unsigned beyond his fifth-year option season. The Aiyuk situation lingers, but the 49ers checked off one box Tuesday, rewarding the top player at a marginalized position.

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey, CB Ambry Thomas Out For Week 18

January 2nd, 2024 at 10:31am CST by Adam La Rose

The 49ers have locked up the NFC’s top seed, making their regular season finale a game with no impact on the standings. That is a welcomed development given the team’s injury situation at a few key positions.

Running back Christian McCaffrey exited Sunday’s win with a calf injury, and it will lead to an absence to close out the campaign. The NFL’s rushing and scrimmage yards leader is dealing with a mild calf strain, per head coach Kyle Shanahan. To no surprise, therefore, McCaffrey will sit out the 49ers’ season finale against the Rams.

Since arriving via trade in San Francisco last year, the two-time Pro Bowler has been a vital component of the team’s vaunted skill-position group. McCaffrey has posted 2,205 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground in 27 games with the 49ers, keeping himself in the MVP conversation through the 2023 season. Any missed time in the postseason would be crippling to the team’s offense, but an extra week of recovery (coupled with the first round bye) should have him healthy in time for the divisional round.

The same is expected to be true of cornerback Ambry Thomas. The 2021 third-rounder is set to undergo hand surgery today, as noted by ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. The procedure will keep him sidelined for Week 18, which will leave San Francisco shorthanded in the secondary. Fortunately, however, Thomas is on track to suit up for the team’s first postseason contest.

The 24-year-old has only logged a 49% snap share on defense this season, but he has established himself as a key member of the 49ers’ backend. Thomas has seen a career-high workload in 2023, spending almost all of his time on the perimeter. He has posted 43 tackles, seven pass deflections and one interception while recording a new personal best in PFF grades along the way. Thomas’ performance did not stop the 49ers from exploring a CB addition at the trade deadline, but any missed postseason action would be acutely felt on defense.

San Francisco will be shorthanded both by necessity and by choice to close out the regular season, but the team will face substantial expectations once their playoff journey begins. The health of both McCaffrey and Thomas will be important factors in the 49ers’ postseason success, so their respective recoveries will be worth watching over the next several days.

NFC West Rumors: McCaffrey, Smith, Lynch

December 6th, 2023 at 9:58pm CST by Ely Allen

In a recent deep dive on the value of NFL running backs by Dan Pompei of The Athletic, it was revealed that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan reportedly liked running back Christian McCaffrey so much coming out of Stanford in 2017 that the team heavily considered taking him at No. 3 overall all in that year’s draft. That would’ve made McCaffrey the highest-drafted running back since Trent Richardson was selected third overall by the Browns in 2012.

Instead, of course, McCaffrey was selected five picks later by the Panthers. McCaffrey would immediately display his skill and versatility upon arrival in the NFL, being named a first-team All-Pro after leading the league in scrimmage yards (2,392) and touchdowns (19) in 2019. The following two years would be hampered with injury, limiting him to only 10 contests over that time, but it wouldn’t deter Shanahan from trading four draft picks for him in 2022, finally attaining the running back he so admired.

The 49ers, of course, selected McCaffrey’s college teammate, defensive end Solomon Thomas at No. 3 in 2017. Thomas failed to reach the heights of his draft stock, leading to his fifth-year option being declined. Unfortunately for Thomas, he would suffer a torn ACL two games into his contract year. Since leaving San Francisco in free agency, he has spent time with the Raiders and, his current team, the Jets.

Here are a few other rumors from around the NFC West:

  • Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith in playing this season on a shiny new contract that, at the original time of reporting, boasted an amount of $30MM to be earned through incentives. According to ESPN’s Brady Henderson, that doesn’t quite appear to be accurate. The supposed “incentives” have now been revealed to be escalators, which unlike incentives, are tied to non-guaranteed bonuses. For example, an incentive would pay Smith $30MM if he were to reach certain statistical benchmarks. In reality, with the escalator, Smith would need to reach those benchmarks and still be on the team’s roster by the fifth day of the new league year in order to boost his $9.6MM roster bonus to $24.6MM. There are a number of statistical benchmarks that Smith is not on track to reach (4,282 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, 69.755 percent completion rate, 100.874 passer rating), but he could still cash in on team benchmarks such as a playoff berth or a 10-win season.
  • When 49ers general manager John Lynch was given a multi-year extension alongside Shanahan back in September, the team executive was reportedly given an additional title, as well, to accompany the new contract, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports. In addition to his role as GM, Lynch will now also sport the title of president of football operations.

49ers’ Christian McCaffrey To Play In Week 7

October 23rd, 2023 at 12:14pm CST by Adam La Rose

12:14pm: An update from Schefter confirms that McCaffrey will indeed play tonight. He received treatment throughout the week, though Schefter adds he did not partake in any contract drills during his limited practice time. It will thus be interesting to see how he holds up in game action as he tries to extend his touchdown streak while avoiding any missed games since his arrival in San Francisco.

8:56am: The 49ers will be shorthanded on offense when they take the field against the Vikings tonight, but their backfield is set to be intact. Christian McCaffrey is expected to play, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

McCaffrey exited San Francisco’s Week 6 loss with an oblique injury after having briefly attempted to re-enter the contest. His absence for part of the game contributed to San Francisco’s season-low scoring output and an underwhelming 108 rushing yards. Especially with wideout Deebo Samuel set to miss at least the next two games, a healthy McCaffrey would be a welcomed development for San Francisco’s offense.

Since being traded away by the Panthers last year, the latter has been as advertised with respect to his impact on the 49ers’ efficiency on the ground and through the air. McCaffrey posted 1,210 scrimmage yards and 10 total touchdowns in just 11 games in the Bay Area after the trade, and that success continued into the start of the 2023 campaign. The 27-year-old leads the league with 553 rushing yards, and even with the injury shortening his Week 6 appearance, he was able to continue his streak of scoring at least one rushing or receiving touchdown in every contest so far.

McCaffrey did not practice on Thursday or Friday, but he logged a limited session on Saturday to clear a path to suiting up for tonight’s primetime matchup. In case he is unable to play, former UDFA Jordan Mason would likely be in line to handle starting duties. The 24-year-old produced 27 yards and one touchdown on his five carries with McCaffrey out of the game, and it would be interesting to see if he could could carry over that efficiency with a full starter’s workload. For now, though, it appears that won’t be necessary.

In other San Francisco injury news, left tackle Trent Williams missed practice all week and is listed as doubtful for Monday’s game. The 10-time Pro Bowler was able to return to last week’s loss to the Browns while battling an ankle injury, but he was in a walking boot after the contest was over. That cast doubt on his ability to play tonight, and it is trending in the direction of a notable absence for the 49ers’ offense as they look to rebound from their only loss of the season so far.

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