Professional sports are a what have you done for me lately business, and for Christian McCaffrey, the last thing on everyone's mind is him being sidelined due to injury.
The superstar running back was limited to just four games in 2024-25 because of both an Achilles and PCL ailment. A preseason calf strain turned into Achilles tendinitis that forced him to miss the first eight games of the season. Then, after just four games of being back in action, McCaffrey suffered a season-ending PCL injury during a snowy Week 13 loss in Buffalo.
It was an extremely frustrating year for CMC, one that was reminiscent of the injury-plagued 2020 and 2021 campaigns when he was a member of the Carolina Panthers.
Having been out of sight and out of mind for so long, all of the running back conversations have centered around Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and emerging stars Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson. Even rookie Ashton Jeanty, who hasn't played a snap in the NFL, is generating plenty of buzz heading into 2025.
Despite that, McCaffrey has quietly been preparing to show the football world that he's still that guy. On Monday, he shared images on Instagram looking in peak shape during offseason workouts, accompanied by a caption featuring an hourglass emoji, indicating his eagerness for the season to kick off.
McCaffrey recently said that he feels great physically, and if that means his body will withstand a full season, then there's a great chance he'll return to his place as one of the more valuable players in the league.
The 29-year-old was a finalist for the NFL MVP in his first full season as a 49er in 2023-24, flashing his do-it-all abilities out of the backfield. Whenever CMC has been healthy, he's piled up massive numbers, so it's fair to believe he'll do just that if all goes well in 2025.
There will be very little competition at the running back position in San Francisco, as 2024 fourth-rounder Isaac Guerendo and 2025 fifth-round pick Jordan James are the only real threats to receive any work behind him.
With Deebo Samuel in Washington and injury concerns for Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings, Kyle Shanahan and company might have to rely on McCaffrey more than ever to start the season.
The talent is as good as it gets, and the workload should be there. All that stands between McCaffrey and a bounce-back 2025 season is health.
