Christian McCaffrey is first Niner to win Offensive Player of the Year since 1993

Running back Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers has won the 2023 AP Offensive Player of the Year award.

He was, of course, a most deserving player, rushing for a league-high 1,459 yards. He also had 14 rushing touchdowns and seven receiving touchdowns.

McCaffrey also set a franchise record for rushing touchdowns in a single season with 14. The previous franchise rushing touchdown record was set by running back Frank Gore in 2009 with 10.

For reference, in 2023 McCaffrey had almost 300 yards more than the second-best rusher and played one less game. McCaffrey also happened to lead the league in rushing yards every single week of the 2023 season.

He was also a serious darkhorse candidate to win NFL MVP, too, even though it's been a quarterbacks-only accolade for well over 10 years now.

Christian McCaffrey becomes first 49ers player to win Offensive Player of the Year since Jerry Rice

It was a long 30 years since a Niners player last won the Offensive Player of the Year award. That player was none other than legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice in 1993.

In that season, Rice had 98 receptions, 1,503 receiving yards and 15 receiving touchdowns. To compare eras, no receiver had more than 13 receiving touchdowns in 2023. Rice also rushed for 69 yards and one touchdown in that season.

Related story: How Christian McCaffrey tracked against former NFL MVP running backs

Rice was a one-of-a-kind player in NFL history, as is McCaffrey. They are both offensive stat sheet stuffers.

But, as McCaffrey alluded to in his acceptance speech, the job is not done yet. There is still one more game to go. Hopefully, McCaffrey has a big game in him for Sunday and can put on a show in Super Bowl LVIII as he has done all season.