Why San Francisco Is Managing Christian McCaffrey More Carefully

About time.

Jan 17, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) warms up prior to a game against the Seattle Seahawks in an NFC Divisional Round game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers now seem to understand how important it is to keep Christian McCaffrey as fresh as possible.

McCaffrey stayed healthy throughout 2025, which felt miraculous after how much he battled injuries in 2024, and as a result, he thoroughly deserved Comeback Player of the Year honors that came his way.

But it’s simply not sustainable to give him even more reps than he already handled in 2025. In 2023, McCaffrey had 272 carries and 67 receptions for 1,459 rushing yards and 564 receiving yards, compared to 311 carries and 102 receptions for 1,202 rushing yards and 924 receiving yards in 2025.

While he showcased his versatility as a receiver, his explosiveness as a runner declined, with his average yards per carry dropping from 5.4 to 3.9.

Feb 1, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey during NFC practice at the Flag Fieldhouse Moscone Center South Building. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

But now San Francisco 49ers have drafted Kaelon Black and still have Jordan James on the depth chart, and they now seem to realize that keeping McCaffrey fresh is worth prioritizing.

At the same time, it’s also about finding the right moments during games to reduce his workload.

“Yeah, I think literally this day last year we were talking about that. It is challenging because you’re talking about a player who does not want to come off the field, but when you look around the league and you study great backs and study guys who affect the game like he does, those guys do come out of the game," shared offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak with reporters on Thursday.

"Those guys do get a blow sometimes and whether it’s a drive or a couple plays in a series, it helps those players.

"Christian knows that, and we’ve got to do a better job as coaches, we’ve got to do a better job at times of getting a better rotation. We know we have young backs that we want to get more production out of, so it’s on us to handle that.

"But you know, it’s something we’re always weighing, not much we can do about it in the offseason, but as the season gets going and we start putting our plans together, it’s something that’s got to be at the forefront of our mind.”

It’s now paramount that the 49ers keep their word on this, because any injury to McCaffrey, as has been proven before, could be detrimental to their playoff ambitions.

He’ll be 30 in June and still clearly has a lot to give, but managing his workload carefully could prolong the inevitable decline that comes with running backs.