Christian McCaffrey had an incredible 2025 season with the San Francisco 49ers.
The star running back played in all 17 games for the 49ers and rushed for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns. The star also caught 102 passes for 924 yards and seven more scores.
As a result, it’s clear to see that McCaffrey is still among the best running backs in the league. The veteran is crucial to the team’s success in 2026, which is why it’s concerning that he’s missed a week of practice.
McCaffrey has not been practicing due to non-specific “tightness.” At first, it seemed like cautiousness, as nobody deals with injuries more than the 49ers do. However, with the issue going on for a week now, some people are starting to get suspicious.
Mike Florio Thinks McCaffrey’s Absence Could Be Contract Related
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This offseason featured a couple of notable “hold-ins” at the running back position. Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons and Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions both showed up, but did not practice at the beginning of training camp as they sought new deals.
Both stars ended up getting massive new contracts, and those two now have the most guaranteed money of any non-rookie running back.
As a result, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk openly wondered if McCaffrey is also staging a hold-in.
“People are starting to wonder if it’s a hold-in,” Florio explained. “The tightness happens just days after Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs blow up the running back market, and McCaffrey is in the next-to-last year of his contract. $12.5 million; none of it is guaranteed.”
As Florio mentioned, McCaffrey is only under contract through 2027, and he has significantly less guaranteed money in his deal than other top running backs.
“It could be that he’s taking a stand quietly to get more money without it being obvious like it was with Robinson and Gibbs because they weren’t practicing because of their contract,” Florio added.
It wouldn’t be surprising if McCaffrey did feel underpaid. There are 12 running backs with more guaranteed money in their deals than McCaffrey, and nobody would argue that there are 12 running backs better than McCaffrey.
For what it’s worth, noted NFL insider Ian Rapoport shot down that idea on Monday night. Rapoport insists the timing ot the injury is just a coincidence, and McCaffrey is injured, but it’s not serious.
