San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has been one of the best running backs in the league since his rookie season.
McCaffrey reinforced his elite status with San Francisco in 2023 by leading the league with 1,459 rushing yards while adding 14 touchdowns. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and won Offensive Player of the Year, was elected First-Team All-Pro and finished third in MVP voting.
But then came 2024, and his elite status was questioned ... because of his health.
NFL.com's Tom Blair has labeled McCaffrey as the 49ers' candidate of "one player to root for" in 2025.
"I know McCaffrey doesn't really need a boost in the fan department. This is more about a certain level of greediness I'm feeling about one of the most prolific offensive talents of our time," Blair wrote. "McCaffrey has topped 1,800 scrimmage yards in four separate seasons, a total surpassed by just four other players in NFL history (Hall of Famers Walter Payton, LaDainian Tomlinson, Marshall Faulk and Emmitt Smith). He did it as recently as 2023, when he hit the 2k mark for the second time -- then lost most of last season to injuries, finishing with less than 100 touches for the first time in his career. Maybe 2024 was just a natural step-down from such a high workload, and he'll easily bounce back again, just as he did following a similar blip in production following his first 2,000-scrimmage-yard effort, in 2019 with the Panthers. Then again, he's 29 now, with that much more mileage on his legs.
"Knowing how time and age generally work, it would be great to get to watch at least one more mega-wattage McCaffrey campaign."
Durability has always been a question for McCaffrey, and ESPN noted that as the only problem with the former Stanford standout's game.
"Durability is the one thing holding McCaffrey back," Jeremy Fowler wrote. "He has missed 10 or more games in three of his past five NFL seasons. 'He's a great player, but he's always had durability issues, even in college,' an NFL personnel executive said. 'He's an elite trainer and takes great care of himself. He's just not a big body and will lose a step eventually.' A return to 2023 form would put McCaffrey back in the MVP conversation. When he's healthy, he always produces.
"In fact, McCaffrey has four seasons with at least 1,800 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns. The only players with more are all Hall of Famers: [LaDainian] Tomlinson, Marshall Faulk, Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton (five each)."