San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has missed a week's worth of training camp practices with what's been called, "tightness."
For a 30-year-old rusher who led the league in touches with 413 a year ago, it's awfully concerning. Especially how CMC's 2024 trajectory followed a similar path in the wake of another high-usage campaign the season prior.
But Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio isn't concluding that McCaffrey's absence is strictly injury-related.
No, the NFL media personality suggested it's less about physical wear and tear and more about the money, particularly in light of two other notable pay increases for high-profile running backs, the Atlanta Falcons' Bijan Robinson and the Detroit Lions' Jaymyr Gibbs.
Florio wrote:
There’s speculation in league circles that McCaffrey has tapped the brakes on his practice time in an effort to get an adjustment to his contract, which pays out a non-guaranteed $12.5 million in 2026.
The timeline fits the hypothesis. Days after Falcons running back Bijan Robinson and Lions running back Jaymyr Gibbs pushed the new-money APY to $22.5 million per year, McCaffrey stopped practicing.
Interesting.
Could Mike Florio be onto something with Christian McCaffrey theory?
Florio also said CMC approached the Niners about a better deal a year ago, and his employer refused.
Interestingly enough, McCaffrey enacted a similar situation with San Francisco heading into 2024, getting a revised deal but then dealing with injuries that held him to just four games over the course of the season.
Unfortunately, at least for the 49ers, McCaffrey has a ton of leverage that'll he'll likey use, if Florio's belief has any merit.
49ers can't counter Christian McCaffrey's leverage
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has had a tough time limiting McCaffrey's use over the years, and last year was a prime example. If CMC is healthy, he's almost always on the field.
And the Niners are currently short on contingency options, too. Backup rushers Jordan James (ribs) and Kaelon Black (adductor) have both missed extensive camp time, while Isaac Guerendo (pectoral) likely starts off the year on the physically unable-to-perform (PUP) list.
McCaffrey understands this, and he's fully aware San Francisco needs him far more than he needs the 49ers at this stage of his career.
With no guaranteed money on his present deal, and with increasing risks of injuries, part of CMC's strategy might easily be to land some guarantees while using the lack of depth behind him as leverage.
If the 49ers were in a rebuild mode of any kind, they'd easily decline his push. Since they're not, and McCaffrey is such a vital part of their offense, there's almost no other likable outcome but to meet his demands.
Assuming Florio's thesis is correct, of course.
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