Christian McCaffrey put pen to paper on a two-year extension with the San Francisco 49ers. McCaffrey earning $19 million a year essentially resetting the running back market once again.
ESPN Adam Schefter on Wednesday announced the McCaffrey deal with the 49ers. However, the franchise hasn’t released any further details apart from his annual salary.
Schefter added that, apart from the deal, the 49ers included $8 million in add-ons which McCaffrey was supposed to earn in 2024 and 2025 with $24 million guaranteed money. The 28-year-old is now the highest-paid running back in the NFL.
Mina Kimes was overjoyed by the news. Schefter’s ESPN colleague has been a longtime admirer of Christian McCaffrey’s talents and claimed his versatility has earned him the money.
I think with McCaffrey, the reason why we all think he deserves this and why we talk about him like he is a unicorn, it’s not just that he catches passes. There are other running backs who catches passes but he has everything at an extremely high level. Mina Kimes said during Thursday’s NFL Live
McCaffrey rushed 272 times for a league and career-high 1459 scoring 14 touchdowns along with 67 catches for 564 yards and 7 touchdowns last season. He led the 49ers in scrimmage yards with 2023 yards gained from 339 touches.
His got incredible hands. When he runs between tackles inside stacked boxes, he is still one of the best running backs in the league and he can block… Nobody knows what the hell they are gonna do because he is McCaffrey, he is a threat at any time. There’s just no one like him in the NFL. Mina Kimes said
The All-Pro rusher bagged the Offensive Player of the Year award ahead of Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.
Kyle Shanahan praised Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey quickly established himself as the 49ers primary running back after his midseason move from the Carolina Panthers in 2022. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan had a massive hand in the signature of the first-round pick and sounded ecstatic with his extension with the team. Shanahan believes that McCaffrey can easily play well into his 30s.
Christian [McCaffrey] is one of the more talented people I’ve ever met in my life, but if I didn’t speak about that, I’d say he’s almost the biggest overachiever I’ve been around in my life in terms of how obsessive he is with every little thing.
Kyle Shanahan said per ESPN.com
While the 49ers figure out a solution for both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, extending McCaffrey’s contract is a step in the right direction. Shanahan has managed to keep hold of the majority of the starters from last season.
