WATCH: Christian McCaffrey Discusses Offseason & His Partnership with USAA

The 2020 NFL season was not a normal one thanks to the pandemic. However, it was also foreign territory for Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey who, for the first time in his NFL career, missed a game due to injury.

McCaffrey went down early in the year against Tampa Bay in Week 2 with a high ankle sprain which caused him to miss six games. He returned to game action in Week 9 against the defending Super Bowl champion, the Kansas City Chiefs, and totaled 151 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in his return. Unfortunately, McCaffrey injured his shoulder late in the 4th quarter and once again, was put on the shelf for multiple weeks. He then attempted to make a comeback later in the year but a groin injury popped up which ultimately forced him to sit the remainder of the season.

Earlier this week, McCaffrey joined Lauren Withrow of All Panthers on Sports Illustrated for an exclusive interview to discuss this past season and some of the activities that he is getting involved with off the field. You can watch the full interview at the top of this page.

Q: What is your primary focus this offseason?

"I think the biggest thing is just dialing everything back in and staying healthy obviously. Availability is your best ability so for me, it's just honing in on all the details, keeping it simple, and kind of going back to myself."

Q: How were you able to stay motivated through the multiple injuries you endured this past season?

"I think the biggest thing I took from it is just being able to step back a little bit and watch my teammates step up and kind of be forced into a position to lead and evaluate the game from an angle that I haven't seen before. Obviously, there's a lot of negatives that come out of injuries but there's also a lot of positives and I think you look around the league at guys who have suffered injuries from reconstructions and come back and have success, so that's who I kind of look to for constant motivation. But for me just to be there for my teammates in a way that I've never really been able to do before was cool. Watching guys like Mike Davis step up and Reggie [Bonnafon] step up and being able to watch guys like DJ Moore and Robby Anderson do what they do best, that's what was fun for me and I learned a lot through it. I think ultimately it will make me better in the long run."

Music and football:

"I initially started in high school when my neighbor got me into it way back in the day. I do like to play. It's fun for me and it's something that gets my mind off of football but at the same time, I like to dissect everything to a point where I think it's something that helps my game and kind of syncing my brain with my limbs and hearing different sounds and reacting to it. I love music, all genres. It's something to get my mind off the game and I have fun with it."

Q: USAA and the NFL created the Salute to Service platform to authentically honor and appreciate our military, veterans, and their families. Each season, USAA creates memorable NFL experiences that bring our nation’s military closer to a game they love. In addition to a virtual hangout with Christian, former Marine Corps. veteran Jonathan Yeagley also won a large TV, sound system, gaming system, gift cards, and other prizes. How does it feel to be able to team up with USAA to make special moments like the one you helped provide Jonathan?

"One of the biggest blessings of being an athlete or being somebody who people look up to is being able to do stuff like this and use your platform for the greater good of the world. Anytime I get to do something with the military, I jump to it. I have a big passion for the military, our veterans, and our active-duty members. USAA asked me to team up with them and I met with a former marine and got to present him with one of the grand prizes for the USAA Salute to Service sweepstakes. I'm always inspired by their stories and why they joined, their mindset. I think these are the heroes of the world, so for me being able to pick their brain and to step back and realize the bigger picture of all this is fun.

"He came from a military family and he was actually stationed in North Carolina which is something that we talked about. But the constant pursuit of excellence, no matter good result or bad result, and when you're talking about combat, it's intense. It's not winning a football game, it's much more than that. Obviously, talking to Jonathan, he was someone who talked about his constant pursuit of excellence. So for me, I think when you do that, it takes away from the emotional side of things and you can just really focus in on honing your craft."

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