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.
