Robbed of 23 games during a two-year span with the Carolina Panthers by an injury bug that just kept biting, Christian McCaffrey has seemingly found the fountain of good health with the San Francisco 49ers.
A do-it-all talent for all downs, McCaffrey has reemerged as the top running back in the NFL.
He's been a phenomenal fit for head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, but his durability has proven to be a massive factor in his success, as well.
Thus, the 28-year-old sees plenty of seasons ahead for himself, believing strongly that he can continue playing at least into his mid-30s.
"Absolutely," McCaffrey told RG.org’s DJ Siddiqui in a recent interview when asked if he could play into his mid-30s. "I don't put limits on anything. I always go off how I feel, and I feel fantastic."
Of course, McCaffrey feeling fantastic doesn't completely jive with his current status as he's being held out of the preseason due to a calf injury. McCaffrey recently told Sirius XM NFL Radio that it's just a cautionary measure, though, and if he had a game to play, he'd be playing.
Since joining the Niners, McCaffrey's played in 27 of a possible 28 regular-season games, sitting only in Week 18 of last year as San Francisco had locked up homefield advantage.
At 27, McCaffrey turned in arguably his best season yet, winning the rushing title with a career-high 1,459 rushing yards as he was also tops in the league with 2,023 scrimmage yards and 21 scrimmage TDs. His exploits nabbed him AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year along with some MVP buzz.
One point of concern might be that he likewise led the league with 339 touches. He also led the league with 403 touches back in 2019 with the Panthers. He posted a sensational 1,000-1,000 season that year, but it was the precursor to his two injury riddled campaigns. Did CMC's usage lead to his injury travails? Perhaps, not.
How often McCaffrey is used will always be a concern as he's become an integral part of the 49ers' success. And, of course, there's the simple fact that he's a running back and running backs' careers often begin to slow drastically before they even hit 30, sometimes coming to sudden halts right after they have seemingly hit their peak years or garnered a massive payday (see Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott, etc.). McCaffrey's message would seem to be, fear not. He's got plenty of tread left on his tires.
"I feel great," he said. "I look at guys around the league who are my age and are still balling, guys older than me like Derrick Henry and Raheem Mostert. They're in their 30s and they're Pro Bowlers and All-Pro caliber players. I absolutely think you can go as long as you want."
McCaffrey's got two more seasons in his 20s and, including 2024, four more years on his current 49ers contract. A dual-threat dynamo and a pay-dirt purveyor, McCaffrey doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon.
