Christian McCaffrey is the 49ers’ workhorse, as the running back does nearly everything for San Francisco’s dynamic offense, rarely taking days off during or after the long NFL season.
Just on Christmas, the NFL MVP candidate played an impressive 70 snaps against the Baltimore Ravens at Levi’s Stadium, accumulating 103 yards on the ground, 28 yards through the air and a rushing touchdown.
At 49ers practice on Wednesday, coach Kyle Shanahan shared a funny story about McCaffrey’s year-long commitment to being in shape and how the Stanford product doesn't take days off.
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“I've been impressed since he's gotten here,” Shanahan told reporters on Wednesday. “The guy is insane in how hard he prepares, not just in the season, but I saw him like a week after the season last year, and he had a drink with me, and he actually had a second one. He is like, 'Well, only got four more days left, so I'm going to have a couple for the next four days.' I'm like, 'Dude, we just finished like five days ago.' He gives himself like 12 days off, and he is right back to like preparing and every aspect he goes through.”
Since entering the league in 2017, McCaffrey has earned two Pro Bowl nods and an All-NFL honor, rushing for 6,121 yards and 52 touchdowns across 90 games.
McCaffrey also was the 2015 AP College Football Player of the Year, a finalist for the 2015 Heisman Trophy, finishing his Stanford career as the NCAA leader for all-purpose yards with 3,864, meaning the running back maximized his potential for a long time.
San Francisco 49ers
Perhaps the lone concern regarding McCaffrey’s career and regimen is his health, which shouldn’t be a big deal at all, per Shanahan.
"[McCaffrey] also made it very clear to me when he got here, his injuries aren't because of wear and tear,” Shanahan explained. “They're because of freak things that happened. I'm not saying that for us, but that's how he is. He strongly believes that. He strongly prepares that way. He's proven himself right in everything I've dealt with him on."
Since San Francisco traded for McCaffrey during the 2022 NFL season, the running back has exceeded all of their expectations.
In 26 regular season games as a 49er, McCaffrey has gained 3,142 total yards while posting 20 touchdowns. He’s yet to miss an entire game during that span.
Shanahan has good reason for the high praise of San Francisco’s MVP candidate in the backfield, as McCaffrey’s year-long efforts consistently pay off.