McCaffrey is the one star on the 49ers who missed most of last season and is expected to be 100 percent healthy when next season begins.
It’s unclear how the 49ers actually plan to get better this offseason.
They definitely have gotten cheaper — they let nine starters walk in free agency and signed a bunch of backups. Their biggest signing was backup tight end Luke Farrell. Which means the 49ers expect lots of rookies to start and make an impact next season.
They also seem to expect Christian McCaffrey to carry them like he did in 2023.
He’s the one star on the team who missed most of last season and is expected to be 100 percent healthy when next season begins. As opposed to Brandon Aiyuk, who also missed most of last season but probably won’t return from knee surgery until midway through next season at the earliest.
All the other 49ers starts were on the field last season when they went 6-11. Trent Williams missed seven games, but he misses games every season. You can’t count on him to play 17 games because he never has.
So unless McCaffrey plays 17 games and gains 2,000 yards from scrimmage, and three or four rookies become quality starters right away, the 49ers might struggle again in 2025. Because George Kittle probably can’t play any better than he did last season, and Williams will turn 37 in July.
Counting on McCaffrey to carry the team seems risky considering in June he’ll turn 29, which is old for a running back. And just last season, he had Bilateral Achilles tendonitis plus he tore his PCL. Is his body beginning to break down?
Don’t be surprised if the 49ers spend one of their top draft picks on a running back next month. Because if McCaffrey goes down again, they’re in trouble.