The San Francisco 49ers are missing several key players early in preseason due to injury, but Christian McCaffrey‘s status is puzzling.
The NFL veteran running back continues to miss practice with San Francisco as he battles muscle “tightness.” However, one league insider believes that there’s more to the story as to why McCaffrey is sitting out.
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San Francisco’s injury woes are piling up faster than any other NFL team, and McCaffrey’s extremely valuable to the franchise. Although, McCaffrey could be more motivated to stay on the sidelines after several NFL RBs received major paydays recently, per Mike Florio.
“Bijan Robinson gets a big contract,” Florio explains during “PFT Live.” A couple of days later, Jahmyr Gibbs gets a big contract. A couple of days later Christian McCaffrey starts missing practice due to ‘tightness.'”
“Now he’s missed a week of practice and some are wondering whether or not his tightness, whether his absences from practice relates to a desire to get an adjustment to his contract.”
Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson and Jonathan Taylor all earned huge contract extensions in recent weeks, and that could be the best-case scenario for San Francisco.
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Why is McCaffrey missing so much time?
McCaffrey is slated to earn roughly $12.5 million, but that money is non-guaranteed if the 49ers star misses time. Perhaps Florio’s rationale adds up after the recent surge of running back extensions.
Gibbs and Robinson’s new contracts pay the talented rushers nearly $22.5 million annually, a drastic increase from McCaffrey’s number.
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The nightmare scenario for San Francisco would be if the veteran’s sidelining has nothing to do with finances. San Francisco’s growing list of injuries already includes top offensive weapons like Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall and George Kittle.
The 49ers can ill-afford another significant setback if McCaffrey is pulled out of Brock Purdy’s offense. Meanwhile, head coach Kyle Shanahan is still battling his own health after an offseason car crash in California.
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