SANTA CLARA — The 49ers’ main goal is to get to another Super Bowl and win it, and that’s pretty clear.
That won’t happen unless they achieve one of their secondary goals, which is to keep Christian McCaffrey at close to peak form for another full season.
If there’s one thing that’s clear from the 49ers’ second practice Thursday, it’s that McCaffrey isn’t letting up. And that’s after an offseason where he could be excused for some time off given his marriage to former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo and a two-year contract extension that will pay him $19 million per season.
“This is one of the busiest offseasons I’ve had,” McCaffrey said. “I still have to focus on the big picture. Even though there’s a lot of good things going on, I still have to keep training and preparing. Even though it might feel like a lot has happened — and it has — I’m trying to stay as consistent as I can from the offseasons I’ve had.”
It must be said that the 49ers have their priorities in order. They need to get things in order for McCaffrey financially after all he gave them was the No. 1 job, and that includes the ongoing financial sagas of Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk.
The contract issue has kept McCaffrey out of some team activities, and given his immersion in the 49ers’ offense for his first full season last year, those reps weren’t necessary anyway. And based on Thursday’s visual evidence, McCaffrey, 28, continues to set a blistering pace that few players can match.
Last year’s NFL Offensive Player of the Year, McCaffrey led the NFL in rushing with 1,459 yards on 272 carries, caught 67 passes for 564 more and his 2,003 rushing yards also led the league, as did his 21 touchdowns (14 rushing, seven receiving).
That’s why the 49ers didn’t hesitate to give McCaffrey extra money, even though he was already the highest-paid running back in the NFL. Aside from quarterback Brock Purdy, McCaffrey is the player the 49ers can least afford to lose if they’re going to win a sixth Lombardi Trophy. Yes, that includes Williams and Aiyuk.
He’s head coach/offensive innovator Kyle Shanahan’s favorite toy, the primary running-receiving satellite in Purdy’s orbit at quarterback.
Shanahan admitted he struggled to get McCaffrey off the field last season, even though he had capable backups on a series-by-series basis in Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason.
“We have to protect Christian from himself,” Shanahan said in June. “He doesn’t like to go out, no matter what the situation, and I think that’s something we could protect him with more.”
Specifically, Shanahan was talking about the punishing runs between the tackles that McCaffrey relishes, especially with the goal line in sight. And if anything, the first-series fumble against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl loss will only make McCaffrey more determined. If that’s even possible.
It’s not in McCaffrey’s nature to take offense at a question, but it’s clear he has no interest in cutting his roster in 2024 after throwing an NFL-high 339 touchdowns last season.
“I give my body, mind and soul to play every snap and coaches have to be coaches, no matter what they think is best,” McCaffrey said. “But for me, I prepare to play every snap so I’m ready to go.”
McCaffrey is one of the key veterans Shanahan will have in his camp program to ensure he doesn’t get overworked. At the first practice Wednesday, McCaffrey did warmups and drills, then sat out the offense-versus-defense sessions.
Shanahan and McCaffrey are kindred spirits in that both believe the best way to get good at football is to practice. Practice, prepare, and do it obsessively.
Shanahan dropped McCaffrey on Thursday and, predictably, it was as if he had been shot out of a cannon.
“It was good to be back,” McCaffrey said. “I think it’s probably a good idea to get some work in the first few days and get going. But it’s important to see things, get your timing right, get more comfortable. You’ve got to get those reps in. It’s important.”
McCaffrey doesn’t see his life as a seasonal existence. Rather, he sees it as a matter of number of hours in a day.
“It’s not a year or a week, it’s a day-to-day thing,” McCaffrey said. “Getting reps is really important because that’s when you can really hone your game. When you’re out for a long time, you can miss them. Training your eyes, getting the timing right, the sequencing right, it’s something you have to do every day.”
The 49ers’ success has led to cash flow and salary cap issues, one of the side effects of a talented team. They lost Arik Armstead when he refused to take a pay cut. Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who knows full well that no other team in the league uses his position the way the 49ers do, reluctantly took a pay cut.
Aiyuk and Williams are still waiting, and the 49ers were right to address the McCaffrey situation in the first place.
“There’s never a right or wrong way to do it,” Shanahan said. “You try to figure out the best way to do it. There’s a lot of things that go into it. And to be able to bring Christian here, with what he’s done the last couple of years and what we plan on having him do in the next few years, we’re really looking forward to it and we’re really proud of it.”
After some injury issues at Carolina, McCaffrey missed only the final regular-season game of last season. He played 33 games with the 49ers, including the playoffs, and scored 39 touchdowns. While NFL teams recruit players for the future rather than the past, that kind of off-the-charts production warranted an adjustment before anything else.
As for the 2024 season, the battle Shanahan wages in his mind to resolve whether to take the NFL’s most versatile weapon off the field on occasion and get McCaffrey to the finish line will determine whether the 49ers can actually make it to another Super Bowl and win it.
