Add The California Post on Google Kyle Shanahan says Christian McCaffrey is dealing with tightness.
There is no reason not to take the 49ers coach at his word.
Shanahan has been emphatic about it, pushing back on speculation that McCaffrey’s extended absence from practice is actually a contract-related hold-in. He has even indicated that if this were the regular season, McCaffrey would probably be practicing.
“People make a lot of assumptions, and that would be one that they’re wrong on,” Shanahan said earlier this week.
But until McCaffrey actually gets back on the practice field, it’s difficult to completely dismiss another possibility.
Maybe there really is a little more going on here.
Because if ever there were circumstances for a player to use a legitimate physical issue to subtly push a few contract buttons, McCaffrey suddenly finds himself in precisely that situation.
McCaffrey is 30 years old and coming off another tremendous season, running for 1,202 yards and catching 102 passes for 902 yards. You wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that without McCaffrey in place last year, the 49ers have no chance of winning 12 regular-season games and advancing to the second round of the playoffs.
And at an age when NFL running backs typically begin fighting against diminishing leverage, he remains one of the league’s most productive and valuable offensive players.
There probably isn’t another massive payday waiting two or three years down the road.
McCaffrey may have one more opportunity to turn elite production into significant guaranteed money. And if protecting himself in August, while perhaps applying a little pressure to the 49ers in the process, is what it takes to maximize that opportunity, it’s completely understandable.
Especially considering what has happened around him.
Two years ago, McCaffrey signed a two-year, $38 million extension that restored him to the top of the running back financial hierarchy. At $19 million per year, the deal reflected his unique value to the 49ers as both an elite runner and receiver.
This summer, Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs helped move the running back market right past McCaffrey. Both secured enormous extensions that changed the financial landscape at the position.
Both also utilized the increasingly popular negotiating tactic known as the hold-in – reporting to training camp but withholding their services – before reaching agreements on new contracts.
The guaranteed money that once provided security on his current deal has essentially run its course. Meanwhile, the market has moved beyond him.
It matters even more when you’re a 30-year-old running back who understands better than anyone how quickly circumstances can change.
McCaffrey has already lived the other side of this equation. Injuries have cost him significant portions of seasons during his career. He knows every practice rep carries some degree of risk, and he knows there are only so many opportunities for a running back to convert elite production into long-term financial security.
Right now, he possesses something NFL players rarely have for very long:
He’s healthy enough that Shanahan says he would likely be practicing if this were the regular season. He’s coming off an excellent year. He remains essential to what the 49ers do offensively. And the running back market has suddenly established a new neighborhood above the one McCaffrey currently occupies.
If there was ever a time to push a few buttons, this would be it.
None of that means McCaffrey isn’t actually experiencing tightness.
Given his age, workload and injury history, it makes perfect sense for the 49ers to treat even the slightest physical issue with extreme caution in August. There is absolutely nothing to gain by pushing one of their most important players through training-camp practices if his body is telling him otherwise.
Shanahan might be telling us exactly what is happening.
But the two ideas aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.
McCaffrey can legitimately be experiencing tightness while also understanding that there is no reason whatsoever to hurry back onto the field while his contractual future remains unsettled.
He doesn’t need to storm into John Lynch’s office.
He doesn’t need to publicly demand a new contract.
He doesn’t even need to officially declare himself a hold-in.
He merely needs to be extremely cautious about returning.
And if there is a little contract leverage being applied along the way?
This is a 30-year-old running back coming off an outstanding season who might have one final opportunity to secure significant guaranteed money. The 49ers will make whatever decision they believe is best for their organization.
McCaffrey has every right to do the same for himself.
And if Week 1 were tomorrow, perhaps McCaffrey would be practicing and preparing to play.
Christian McCaffrey understands exactly where he is in his career, exactly where the running back market has moved and exactly how fleeting his leverage might be.
Maybe there is nothing more to his absence than tightness.
But until No. 23 puts his helmet back on and rejoins practice, it’s awfully difficult to rule out the possibility that he’s pushing a few buttons.
