Shanahan not worried about 49ers paying CMC at age 30 originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA – Christian McCaffrey signed a two-year contract extension with the 49ers on Tuesday, keeping him with the team through the 2027 season.
If the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year fulfills all the terms of his contract, he will turn 31 at the start of his final season, but that is not a concern for head coach Kyle Shanahan or McCaffrey himself.
“Christian is one of the most talented people I have met in my life,” Shanahan said Tuesday. “But if I didn’t talk about it, I would say he’s almost the greatest entrepreneur that’s ever been in my life in terms of how obsessive he is about every little thing.”
Part of this attention to detail includes an in-depth off-season training program and an intense in-season recovery process. McCaffrey had two injury-plagued seasons with the Carolina Panthers, appearing in just 10 games in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, but since being traded to the 49ers, he has rarely missed a game or practice.
The Stanford product actually bristles when asked about any hint of injury and has been repeatedly quoted as saying, “I feel great.”
“That’s where he’s extremely unique and as you get older, you lose a step or something, that’s not what makes Christian great,” Shanahan said. “It’s just that he’s the same player inside and outside. And yes, it’s great to have all the talent he has, and he takes care of his body as well as anyone, so you can’t imagine him missing out on any of that because of a number.”
At age 27 and in his seventh NFL season, McCaffrey rushed for a career-high and league-record 1,459 rushing yards, while also compiling 2,023 yards from scrimmage and a league-leading 21 all-purpose touchdowns. The All-Pro accumulated 339 touches, which was also the best in the NFL.
While Shanahan I would like to reduce McCaffrey’s touching and taking advantage of the depth the team has at running back, it has been difficult to take the All-Pro off the field. But the head coach has the best intentions to make adjustments in the future.
McCaffrey doesn’t like being excluded from any game and denies that turning 30 is the end of a running back’s career.
“I’ve never really heard all that,” McCaffrey said. “I think I’ve seen a lot of defenders have a lot of success in their thirties, so I’ve never heard anything like that. I feel good, that’s all I know.”
His 339 touches in 2023 are well below McCaffrey’s career-high 403 touches he accumulated in 2019 — his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro season, when he recorded 2,392 yards from scrimmage and 19 total touchdowns, both first in the league. turns on. Still, Shanahan will do everything he can to help his offensive weapon stay healthy.
“When I think about the contract, it’s another four years,” Shanahan said. “But when you look at Christian just as an individual, I’m not going to compare him to anyone else. Christian will always be a good football player until he decides not to be, and we’re not really worried about that given his personality type.”
