Kyle Shanahan is not letting the Christian McCaffrey contract narrative take root.
McCaffrey missed another 49ers practice Tuesday with what the team is calling “tightness,” and the speculation naturally started that the star running back is holding in for a new deal. Shanahan cut that off in real time.
“People make a lot of assumptions, and that would be one that they’re wrong on,” Shanahan told Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
The head coach added that if this were a game week, McCaffrey would have practiced. That is the tell. This is precaution, not leverage.
Why the Rumors Started
The timing is doing the work here. McCaffrey signed a two-year, $38 million extension in 2024 that pays him $19 million a year, and he is now entering the final season of that deal.
Meanwhile the running back market blew up this month. Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson reset the position at the start of August with a three-year, $66.75 million contract that averages around $22 million per year. Days later, Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs signed a three-year, $67.5 million extension at $22.5 million per year, becoming the new highest-paid back in the league.
So when the reigning Offensive Player of the Year candidate is missing practices, brains connect dots.
Shanahan’s Read
Shanahan already told reporters earlier in August that he was not worried about McCaffrey’s injury. The Tuesday follow-up was consistent. There is no hold-in. There is a veteran running back getting rest reps during a preseason week that does not count.
That is the right play by San Francisco either way. McCaffrey is 29 years old and has a long injury history. Grinding him through August practices when the coaching staff already knows what he is capable of would be malpractice.
The Contract Question Still Exists
Shanahan’s denial does not make the McCaffrey extension question go away. It just puts it on the shelf for now. The Niners are going to have to decide whether they want to pay a soon-to-be 30-year-old running back at the top of the market, or let him walk after the season.
The smart bet is McCaffrey plays out this year, and the Niners revisit it in the spring. He is worth every penny when he is on the field. The only real risk is health, and health is going to look different for a 30-year-old back than it did for a 27-year-old back.
Week 1 Is Coming
The 49ers open against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia. That is a real trip and a real game, and getting McCaffrey fully healthy for it matters more than putting him in shells for a Tuesday practice.
Barring anything else surfacing this week, expect McCaffrey to ramp up soon, take a limited preseason snap or two, and be ready for Week 1. The contract conversation will still be there when the season ends. So will Shanahan, who has been running this drill with McCaffrey long enough to know exactly what he is doing.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
