Could McCaffrey be holding in given new RB deals?
Mike Florio and Chris Simms discuss Christian McCaffrey missing 49ers practice and question if the running back could be "taking a stand" for a new contract.
Video Transcript
There have been plenty of headlines as it relates to the 49ers this pre-season, most of them relating to injury.
And it was last Monday that running back Christian McCaffrey first missed practice due to tightness.
And he didn't practice on Sunday.
He hasn't practiced for a full week now due to tightness.
And I heard from someone last night, and I don't know whether or not this is true, and it may not be anything that Christian McCaffrey- Yeah is ever gonna wear on his sleeve.
I know where you're going here.
But people are starting to wonder- Yeah if it's a hold-in.
It, the tightness happens just days after Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs blow up the running back market.
Exactly.
And McCaffrey is in the next to last year of his contract, 12 and a half million.
None of it is guaranteed, and it's 12 and a half million.
And I, well, the average was 19.
Yeah, but, but, but, but guys only care about what they're making now.
It's for the team to structure the deal in a way that the guy feels like in the out years he's getting properly compensated.
And he's looking at 12 and a half saying, "What's wrong with this picture?"
And it could be that he's taking a stand quietly to get more money without, without it being obvious like it was with Robinson and Gibbs- Yeah that they weren't practicing because of their contracts.
I, I, I'm, Mike, I'm with you.
I, I, I've thought the same thing.
I thought the, the I was very curious about the timing of the tightness like you said.
It does feel like no, it's his wallet that's feeling the tightness and that he wants that expanded.
And, yes, I would think that Shanahan and John Lynch, just like we're kind of seeing Todd Bowles do it for Vita Vea, they'll stick up for McCaffrey and say the right things and kind of cover for him as this goes down.
This'll be interesting to see where this goes, though.
It will.
I know McCaffrey was He, he played last year, and he was healthy for most of the year.
I, I got that.
But he's, he's got a history of being beat up.
We know that.
He touched the ball a ton last year.
He's 30 years old.
Man, as a guy running the team, I wouldn't wanna pay him or guarantee him much more money.
Maybe you can sprinkle the pot for this year or whatever, but I would be, you know, reluctant or certainly thinking twice about, you know, attaching myself to Christian McCaffrey for the long term for a few more years with guaranteed money at his age right now.
I went down this rabbit hole over the weekend because Jeff Hafley, the Dolphins coach, made it clear he was joking about 40 touches per game- Yeah for running back De'Von Achane.
Christian McCaffrey's the only guy with more than 400 total touches since they expanded the regular season to 17 games.
He had 413 last year.
17 starts, 413 touches in the league.
Not good.
It's like 20, 25, 7, something like that per game.
He's the only guy to cross 400 in the past decade.
He's done it twice.
He did it in 2019 with 403.
He did it in 2025 with 413.
The only other guy was Le'Veon Bell.
That was 2017 with 406.
Yeah.
The record is 457 set by Larry Johnson in 2006.
Right.
So, it's a lot of touches.
It's a lot of work.
And from McCaffrey's perspective, hey, if you're gonna go out there and, and, and put this kind of effort and, and production- Yeah and work on me, then- It's tough you better pay me.
This is his last chance.
Yeah.
This is it.
He's 30.
This is his last chance to get paid.
No.
It, it, it, it's, he I, I understand his and what, what he's looking at and going, "Hey, how you guys use me, receiver, running back.
I do it all."
There was rumblings out in San Francisco a little last year in training camp that, that McCaffrey wanted a, a refresher on his contract.
So I would not be surprised that this is, this is the issue.
But, like, you know, to your point, you know, and what you're talking about, all those carries, and then you're at age 30.
History usually says that year after those years you had all those carries, it, it takes its toll, and you, you might not play the full year.
We've seen Sean Ex- Alexander have years like that.
I even believe the Larry Johnson year you're talking about, the year after that life was different for Larry Johnson.
He was not the same player.
So, yeah, this is a big decision for them and a, and a team that we know is older, giving money to older players, but they need him badly because they have a lot of unproven commodities at the skill positions right now.
Lot of older players they're relying upon, and I think it may be a little unreasonable.
Now, is it reasonable to think George Kittle will be back for week one after the torn Achilles from last year?
He recently said, "He has a chance.
Next couple of weeks are everything.
That'll let me know whether I'm ready to play in week one."
So he could He's on the PUP list.
He could be on the PUP list to start the season.
That would save a roster spot.
That's one of the decisions that, that every team's gonna have to make.
With the guys on the active PUP or NFI list, what do you do with them when it's time to move the roster to 53?
Do you put them on one of the other lists and save a roster spot?
And those decisions are gonna be made sooner than people realize because we're 13 days away from the roster.
And now it's just one cut all the way down, 90 to 53.
They, they, we've had different times where there've been steps.
Now it's just pull the plug and go 90 to 53, and, it's coming.
And the 49ers are gonna have some decisions to make.
Yeah, they are.
And, we'll see with Kittle.
I mean, it, it would be an awesome story if he is ready for week one, but kind of like, you know, our conversation about Aaron Donald.
It's not all about week one.
You want him for the long haul of the season, and he's a lot of fun to watch play football.
He's a much better football player than he is a riddler.
I know that.
That's for sure with George Kittle.
