49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan sought to end speculation that running back Christian McCaffrey is holding-in for a better contract after Tuesday’s joint practice with the Chargers.
Shanahan told reporters in his press conference that there is no contract-related issue between McCaffrey and the team.
“I think they make a lot of assumptions and that would be one that they’re wrong on,” Shanahan said, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN. “I think if it wasn’t Christian and we were in a game week, I think he would play today.”
McCaffrey, who turned 30 in June, has been out of practice while dealing with tightness. The 49ers have not specified where the tightness is occurring.
But with McCaffrey’s injury history and his production from last season, it makes sense that the running back has been held out of practice at this point of the preseason. McCaffrey registered a career-high 413 touches in 17 regular-season games last season, a figure that also led the league. He then had 37 more in the club’s two postseason games.
McCaffrey last registered over 400 regular-season touches in 2019 when he finished the year with over 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving. But he played just 10 games combined over the next two seasons.
In 2023, McCaffrey had a combined 417 touches between the regular and postseason for the 49ers. He then played just four games for the team in 2024.
We’ll see if McCaffrey’s tightness extends into the regular season. But until then, the running back’s history and age give San Francisco reason to be cautious with his preseason utilization.