49ers Vow to Reduce Christian McCaffrey's Workload Whether He Wants That Or Not

Perhaps the lone idiosyncratic astir the San Francisco 49ers not disquieted astir the dense workload that All-Pro Christian McCaffrey handled past play is McCaffrey himself.

While Kyle Shanahan and the remainder of the coaching unit person expressed a request to trim McCaffrey's usage aft his 450-touch run successful the 2025 regular play and playoffs, McCaffrey doesn't spot a request for load management.

"I’ve been dealing with those questions for 9 years it feels like," McCaffrey said. "I deliberation the workload successful our athletics is truly monitored successful practice, not successful games. We play 17 regular-season games a twelvemonth and everybody’s livelihoods are connected the line. I would accidental connected Sunday you’ve got to bash immoderate it takes to triumph and that’s not a coach’s job. You don’t archer a 3-point shooter you lone get six 3s today. So overmuch of it is rhythmic and it’s my occupation to enactment my assemblage successful the champion presumption I tin to spell retired determination and play. I deliberation everything other tin beryllium monitored during the week. ... But erstwhile it comes to crippled days, I similar to think, hole yourself for playing each snap."

McCaffrey astir did that past play erstwhile helium led each moving backs by playing successful 83% of violative snaps for the 49ers. McCaffrey hardly ever asks for a interruption and moving backs manager Bobby Turner kept calling his number.

"It’s challenging," Turner said. "But I should person personally done a amended occupation of managing that past year, due to the fact that I bash support a tally connected each play and alert erstwhile he’s in, erstwhile helium isn’t. But this year, the coaching staff, they volition each beryllium progressive successful making definite that doesn’t happen."

McCaffrey had 272 rushing attempts successful 2023, erstwhile helium led the league successful rushing yards, but played successful conscionable 4 games successful 2024 earlier rebounding with an NFL-leading 413 touches from scrimmage and a Pro Bowl quality successful '25. (Photo by Kara Durrette/Getty Images)

After being constricted to 4 games due to the fact that of injuries successful 2024, McCaffrey was an ironman past season. He played 1,010 violative snaps successful the regular play and playoffs — conscionable the ninth moving backmost successful the past 20 seasons to apical the 1,000 people — and became the 2nd subordinate successful the past decennary with astatine slightest 450 combined carries and catches.

With respective different violative stars, from backmost Brock Purdy to choky extremity George Kittle to receiver Ricky Pearsall, sidelined for agelong stretches by injuries, the Niners couldn't spend to instrumentality McCaffrey disconnected the tract arsenic helium was some the team's champion runner and often 1 of its much reliable walk catchers.

"We went into the twelvemonth wanting to instrumentality attraction of him a small spot more," Shanahan said. "But the mode the discourtesy went, I deliberation much with the receivers and the injuries that we had, it was hard to get him disconnected (the field). And it was chill to person him retired determination due to the fact that helium did assistance our discourtesy truthful much."

McCaffrey, who turned 30 connected Sunday, hasn't responded good successful the past pursuing his heaviest-use seasons. The erstwhile 2 times helium topped 400 touches — successful 2019 with Carolina and 2023 with the 49ers — helium was severely hampered by injuries the pursuing season, missing 13 games each successful 2020 and 2024.

That's what the 49ers are hoping to debar this twelvemonth erstwhile they program to enactment much spot successful the young backs.

Jordan James, a fifth-round prime successful 2025, got wounded successful grooming campy and ne'er established himself arsenic a viable option. His lone 3 violative snaps successful the regular play came erstwhile San Francisco was kneeling retired the timepiece successful a blowout triumph against Indianapolis successful Week 16. His lone different enactment came precocious successful a 41-6 playoff nonaccomplishment to Seattle erstwhile helium had six carries for 28 yards and 1 reception.

The 49ers past utilized a third-round prime to instrumentality Indiana's Kaelon Black successful this year's draught and are hoping astatine slightest 1 of the 2 tin gain playing clip this season.

"I’m affirmative they’re going to get much opportunities," Turner said. "They some are competitors, they some were drafted for a reason. They’re mentally pugnacious people, they tin beryllium explosive. ... They decidedly volition get much opportunity, which means Christian is going to beryllium fresher."

The 49ers are besides hoping a fresher McCaffrey volition marque him much explosive. Despite gaining 2,126 yards from scrimmage and flirting with his 2nd 1,000-yard rushing and receiving season, McCaffrey struggled to make large plays with lone 3 runs of astatine slightest 20 yards, down from 9 successful his past steadfast play successful 2023 erstwhile helium won AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

The Niners had 4 large runs wide successful the play aft averaging astir 14 a play the erstwhile 4 years.

"When you look astir the league and you survey large backs and survey guys who impact the crippled similar helium does, those guys bash travel retired of the game," violative coordinator Klay Kubiak said. "Those guys bash get a stroke sometimes and whether it’s a thrust oregon a mates plays successful a series, it helps those players. Christian knows that, and we’ve got to bash a amended occupation arsenic coaches, we’ve got to bash a amended occupation astatine times of getting a amended rotation."

Reporting by The Associated Press.