Why 2024 Could be Christian McCaffrey's Final Season with the 49ers

To beat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, the 49ers need to get better on third down, and McCaffrey can't help them in that department.

The 49ers offense needs to evolve.

Ever since the 49ers traded for Christian McCaffrey in 2022, their offense has revolved around him. In the playoffs last season, he was both their leading rusher and their leading receiver. The 49ers have the best group of weapons in the league, and yet the offense became The Christian McCaffrey Show, and that show got cancelled in the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs exposed McCaffrey to a degree. They showed that he's not the best ball carrier in the NFL. They limited him to just 3.6 yards per carry and made him fumble once. And although McCaffrey caught eight passes for 80 yards and one touchdown, the 49ers offense still was 3 for 12 on third down, which is one of the main reasons they lost the Super Bowl.

When it comes to just running the ball, there are running backs who are better than McCaffrey, running backs such as Derrick Henry and Raheem Mostert. When it comes to catching the ball, there is no running back who's better than McCaffrey. But he still doesn't make much of an impact on third down, which is when receivers make their biggest impact.

In 2023, McCaffrey caught just 10 passes on third down, and merely five of those catches picked up the first down. Which means he was the 49ers' fifth option after Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings.

To beat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, the 49ers need to get better on third down, and McCaffrey can't help them in that department. So when the 49ers extend Brock Purdy's contract next season, don't be surprised if they trade McCaffrey as well and free up almost $8 million in cap space.

The 49ers don't need their offense to revolve around a running back anymore.