The San Francisco 49ers are heading into their second preseason game on Aug. 20 against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium, with training camp also ongoing. A key focus of the team has been the injuries, as Christian McCaffrey is dealing with tightness.
Nonetheless, NBC Sports NFL insider Mike Florio isn’t buying that tightness is the reason McCaffrey has been absent from practice. Florio believes the veteran running back’s absence may be due to his contract situation, especially since players at his position have been paid in recent weeks.
“Sometimes when you try to understand things happening in the NFL, you need to look at the timeline,” Florio said on the Aug. 17 edition of “PFT Live.” “For example, Falcons running back Bijan Robinson gets a big contract. Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs gets a big contract.
“49ers running back Christian McCaffrey starts missing practice due to tightness. He’s now missed a week of practice, and some are wondering whether or not his tightness, whether his absence from practice relates to a desire to get an adjustment to his contract given what Robinson and Gibbs are being paid.
“McCaffrey’s now 30. He’s due to make $12.5 million this year. None of it is guaranteed. He’s got one last bite at the apple, and now is the time to take it. Now is the time to protect himself while he lays the foundation to get that sweetener.”
As Florio mentioned, McCaffrey has one last crack at a major contract with his current deal with the 49ers expiring after next season. The veteran likely understands his importance to the Niners’ offense and how much he was used last season, so he probably wants to be compensated properly.
Christian McCaffrey Doesn’t Need Training Camp, Preseason
Moreover, Florio notes that McCaffrey doesn’t need to have his body take a toll during training camp practices and preseason games. The insider believes that the veteran running back will be ready to go Week 1, especially if the 49ers address his contract.
“He doesn’t need the preseason. He doesn’t need the extra reps. He is ready to go. He’s always ready to go. But he may be ready to sit until he gets that contract. Some believe that it’s going to happen. Either way, we’ll see if the 49ers pay him one last time before Christian McCaffrey’s career runs out.”
Last season, McCaffrey played 931 total snaps for San Francisco, leading to a 78.3 overall PFF grade. Moreover, he carried the ball 311 times for 1,202 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 3.9 yards per attempt and forced 47 missed tackles as a runner.
In the passing game, he caught 102 passes on 121 targets for 924 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
49ers Insider on Christian McCaffrey Situation
Meanwhile, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco issued a response to Florio’s claim that McCaffrey’s tightness injury might be masking the player’s contract situation.
“I don’t know for certain the answer to either one of these questions, but I’m just trying to give you a little bit of background and what I feel,” Maiocco said in an Aug. 17 video on his YouTube channel. “So, would it absolutely shock me, like, oh my gosh, jaw-on-the-ground shock, that this is what Christian McCaffrey is doing? No.
“But I would think that he would have done it in a way that reduced the risk at the beginning. So, we’ll see. He is on the injury list that I’ll show later, as far as all the guys who aren’t expected to practice on Tuesday when the 49ers hit the field against the Chargers.”
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