For many reasons, the 2024 season was a trying one for the San Francisco 49ers and their fans.
The team lost a lot of games and missed the playoffs, and in the midst of all that, it seemed every week featured yet another long-term injury to a key player.
Some of those players, like linebacker Dre Greenlaw and his Achilles tear suffered during the Super Bowl, missed time from injuries sustained late in the 2023 season. While others, such as star running back Christian McCaffrey and his bilateral Achilles tendinitis, started feeling the ramifications during the offseason.
Both players' circumstances spilled into the 2024 campaign, having massive impacts on the Niners' performance last year.
While both Greenlaw and McCaffrey saw the field in 2024, neither looked like himself, with the linebacker seeing limited snaps before being shut down with two games left in the season, and the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year slowly making his way back in Week 10 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
McCaffrey struggled in his first few games back but was starting to resemble his former self in Week 13 against the Buffalo Bills before a PCL injury ended his season.
Greenlaw is a free agent, so it remains to be seen where he'll play in 2025 and beyond, but McCaffrey is under contract with the 49ers until 2027, so getting one of their offensive stars back on track will be key to greater success in 2025.
That's why an otherwise innocuous interview with former Niners, New York Giants, and Denver Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffrey should be interesting to Niners' fans.
Ed McCaffrey reveals positive injury update on Christian McCaffrey
In talking with Front Office Sports on Radio Row at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, the elder McCaffrey was asked about a lot of things, including his new line of healthy snacks and predictions for the Super Bowl. But at the 7:30 mark, the three-time Super Bowl champion as asked about his sons, wide receiver Luke of the Commanders and, of course, Christian.
"He's doing great. He should be fully healthy this week...and he'll have a full to train," the McCaffrey patriarch said in response to the hosts' question about Christian's health. "He's recovered and he's healthy. It was a tough season, but I think he's in great shape, he's gonna have a full offseason and I think their team is really going to come back strong next year."
The elder McCaffrey also included a quip that most 49ers fans can agree with when he noted that he hadn't recovered from last February and that he "still [has] PTSD from last year's Super Bowl."
This is excellent news for the Niners, who hope to recover themselves from the poor season in 2024 and rebound for an excellent 2025.
With Christian McCaffrey healthy again, they should be ready to do just that.