From Mike Evans to Ricky Pearsall and more, the San Francisco 49ers‘ training camp injuries have been well documented. More recently, three-time First-Team All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey has missed a week of practice with what the team has described as “tightness.”
His absence, perhaps coincidentally, coincides with new market-resetting contract extensions signed by Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson. Could CMC want a piece of that sweet pie too?
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Christian McCaffrey Eyeing Contract Sweetener?
Now, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, some around the league believe the real reason McCaffrey suddenly hasn’t been practicing isn’t due to injury, but because he wants a contract adjustment.
“The official word is that 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has missed a week of practice due to “tightness.” Some think McCaffrey is simply trying to loosen Jed York’s wallet. There’s speculation in league circles that McCaffrey has tapped the brakes on his practice time in an effort to get an adjustment to his contract, which pays out a non-guaranteed $12.5 million in 2026.”
PFT’s Mike Florio on Christian McCaffrey
The 30-year-old McCaffrey has just two years left on his contract. Last year, he led the NFL with 413 touches, showing he’s not just the main engine of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers offense; he’s their whole world.
If players like Gibbs and Robinson deserve more, then shouldn’t McCaffrey, who recorded a ridiculous 2,126 yards from scrimmage last season, be in line for a raise too?
He’s set to make $12.5 million in cash this season, in the first year of a two-year $38 million extension signed last June. But the market has since changed. Drastically. McCaffrey’s annual average value of $19 million per season now ranks fifth among running backs, right behind Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley.
The 49ers likely won’t be dialing back how much they rely on McCaffrey in 2026, so a contract adjustment may be fair, especially if he can still produce at an elite level, as he did last season.