Christian McCaffrey is dealing with some tightness, and he might have been looking into a new contract. Both can be true, and they aren’t mutually exclusive.
On Monday, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, known for speculating Kirk Cousins to the San Francisco 49ers year after year, went in a different direction for 2026, speculating McCaffrey may be holding in for a new contract. And it took only a few hours for NFL insider Ian Rapoport to discuss the possibility McCaffrey is faking injury for a new deal on The Insiders.
“This is not fake,” Rapoport said. “Actual tightness, not fake tightness, not a hold-in, actual tightness.”
Well, that wraps up nicely right there. McCaffrey is dealing with tightness, and him being held off the field isn’t because of a contract. Imagine that.
Of course there still is a matter of that non-guaranteed $12.5 million for 2026. Something McCaffrey may want to change.
“Now, were there some initial check-ins? Maybe, about a contract at some point in the off-season?” Rapoport said. “Sounds like maybe there was, I don’t get the sense that went anywhere.”
Both 2027 and 2028 for McCaffrey are not guaranteed years. Ideally, he could get through this year, the 49ers could guarantee his salary for 2028 as well as add another year or two plus the cash to let him finish his career in the Bay Area.
“So maybe after the season,” Rapoport suggested. “He goes out and kills it, gets paid again, and then bolts himself to the top of the running back market again. All possible.”
The 49ers will have to cross that bridge when they get to it in 2027. For now, it looks like there’s nothing to be concerned about with their star running back being kept off the field for what is legitimate tightness.