Making A Strong Case For 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey To Win This NFL Award

Christian McCaffrey deserves to be honored for the incredible numbers he put up in 2026.

Jan 17, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs after the catch against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half in an NFC Divisional Round game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Christian McCaffrey was the engine that kept the San Francisco 49ers going this year.

No other player did more for their team in terms of output than McCaffrey. He registered 102 catches, the sixth-most in the league, along with 311 rush attempts, the second-most in the league.

How McCaffrey managed to stay healthy for all 17 games is a miracle. His workload, impact, and production earned him a first-team All-Pro honor and a finalist for the NFL MVP award.

Winning the MVP award won't happen, but it's phenomenal that he's a finalist for the second time in three years. However, McCaffrey does have a shot and should win the Offensive Player of the Year award.

Christian McCaffrey is the most deserving for O.P.O.Y.

Dec 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts linebacker Germaine Pratt (53) pushes San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) out of bounds in the first quarter of the game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

It's a no-brainer that McCaffrey will be named the Comeback Player of the Year. But that award doesn't do justice for the season he had.

No one is more deserving to be the NFL Offensive Player of the Year than McCaffrey. He meant more, did more, and produced more for the 49ers than any other finalist for their respective teams.

McCaffrey is up against Drake Maye, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Bijan Robinson, and Puka Nacua. Maye can be ruled out, as the Offensive Player of the Year award is for skill players.

Robinson can be ruled out. His time will come. Nacua was amazing this year as well, but playing with Matthew Stafford, an MVP finalist, can hurt his stock.

The race for the award is between McCaffrey and Smith-Njigba. Both exploded this year and were integral for their team's success in 2025.

Smith-Njigba put up the fourth-most catches with 119 and led the league in receiving yards with 1,793, along with 10 touchdowns. For a moment in the season, he looked like he would eclipse 2,000 yards.

Sep 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) carries the ball against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Had he done that, he probably would've won the Offensive Player of the Year award. But that honor belongs to McCaffrey. Smith-Njigba was incredible and did so much in 2025.

McCaffrey did more. He totaled 2,126 yards with 17 combined touchdowns. He's top-10 in every statistical offensive category. It doesn't get more "offense" than that.

That is the definition of an offensive player. McCaffrey was even close to eclipsing 1,000 receiving yards. Let's not forget that he is a running back.

He has the yards, the catches, the games played, and the touchdowns. McCaffrey is universal. The voters for the NFL awards have an easy choice to make with the Offensive Player of the Year.

It needs to go to McCaffrey. It doesn't matter if he wins the Comeback Player of the Year award as well. Voting for any other player would diminish what the epitome of an "offensive player" is.

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