Tension had been building within the San Francisco 49ers over Christian McCaffrey‘s absence from practice, but head coach Kyle Shanahan stepped in to clear up speculation that the missed time was due to contract issues.
Shanahan shut down any speculation regarding the star running back’s injury status. According to Adam Schefter, Shanahan stated that McCaffrey “would have practiced Tuesday if it weren’t a joint practice vs. the Chargers. 49ers also have no reason to believe that McCaffrey’s missed practice time is contract-related.”
San Francisco 49ers concluded their final open training camp session on Sunday, which McCaffrey missed. The team traveled to Southern California for a joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers. The 49ers will face Chargers in their second preseason game on Thursday, Aug. 20.
Expecting a healthy McCaffrey
When healthy, McCaffrey ranks not only among the best running backs in the league, but among the best of a generation. In five of the six seasons in which he played at least 16 games, he finished the year with over 1,800 yards from scrimmage and surpassed 2,000 yards in three of those campaigns.
Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers works out during training camp.
That said, those 16-game seasons have been interrupted by several years in which he played less than half a season. Since 2020, he has missed 37 games and frequently appears on the injury report.
Should McCaffrey protest his contract?
Regarding money, McCaffrey currently earns around $12 million per year, which ranks sixth among NFL running backs. While it might seem like he should rank higher on the list, the only player earning substantially more right now is Saquon Barkley at $18 million annually.
Everyone else falls within $1.5 million of McCaffrey’s current salary. That places Christian above average for his position as one of the NFL‘s top performers, meaning contract demands should not be a relevant factor for a potential holdout.
