The San Francisco 49ers checked a big offseason box by signing Brock Purdy to a lucrative long-term contract, secured All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner’s future, but it is another All-Pro who may hold all the cards for the team’s outlook in the 2025 NFL season.
Running back Christian McCaffrey’s 2024 campaign was besiged by injuries, rushing for 202 yards on 50 carries in four games before being shut down due to a sprained PCL after missing the first eight games due to Achilles Tendonitis.
Christian McCaffrey Facing New Challenge for San Francisco 49ers
While CBS Sports NFL analyst Cody Benjamin lists McCaffrey among the stars across the NFL poised for a bounce back season, there are some very real caveats to the running back’s upside.
“CMC was one of two things with the Carolina Panthers to open his career,” Benjamin writes of McCaffrey for CBS. “All-Pro-caliber or injured. The trend finally returned in San Francisco in 2024, when the multipurpose star followed up an Offensive Player of the Year campaign by missing 13 games with Achilles tendinitis.
“Approaching 30, he’s hardly a safe bet to sustain a heavy workload, and his top backup, Jordan Mason, is no longer in town for relief. Still, the rest of the 49ers getting healthy should help ease him back into a starring role for Kyle Shanahan.”
McCaffrey’s availability and durability might not just depend on the cumulative impact of multiple knee and Achilles injuries suffered to date in his career, but the fact that he’ll be called upon to be a more significant piece of San Francisco’s offense after trading Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders and Mason’s departure.
Still, when he is healthy and at the top of his game, McCaffrey is one of the most dominant running backs across the sport and his availability could determine just how high the 49ers’ ceiling is in 2025.
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