Christian McCaffrey’s relentless work ethic might be his greatest strength and biggest asset. Two years ago, he dominated the NFL with a historic season that put him in MVP conversations and helped the San Francisco 49ers reach the Super Bowl.
However, McCaffrey spent nearly all of last season sidelined with an injury suffered during his offseason training. A commentator and three-time Super Bowl champion who has known McCaffrey for a long time explained why the running back has dealt with so many injuries throughout his career.
Analyst Explains Why 49ers Christian McCaffrey Keeps Getting Injured
McCaffrey’s injury history has followed him throughout his career, dating back to his time with the Carolina Panthers. In his eight years in the league, he’s only played a full season four times. However, his production is nothing short of historic when he’s on the field.
In 2023, the second-best year of his career, McCaffrey missed only the final game due to injury, though he would’ve been rested regardless, as the 49ers had already secured the No. 1 seed. Across the five seasons in which he played at least 16 games, McCaffrey has averaged 1,869 yards and 15 touchdowns.
The reality is that elite production has come hand in hand with injuries that cut short three of his seasons, frustrating both his personal goals and his team’s plans. Mark Schlereth pointed to a key factor that links these injuries to a specific trait of McCaffrey’s.
“He puts himself out so maximum effort in the offseason that he wears himself down a little bit… But I think the one thing about him, calling him a running back is probably not fair. This dude is an offensive weapon.”
— @markschlereth on Christian McCaffrey pic.twitter.com/TCQtoSwq6B
— Breakfast Ball (@BrkfstBallOnFS1) July 14, 2025
“I think one of the interesting things is most of the injuries that he has suffered are not significant, like joint. They’re soft tissue issues,” Schlereth said. “I’ve known Christian since he was born. So one of the things about Christian is that dude trains like none other.”
This pattern showed up clearly in 2024. McCaffrey dealt with tendinitis in both Achilles tendons, which sidelined him for the first eight games of the season. After stringing together four straight appearances, he suffered a PCL sprain in a game against the Buffalo Bills that kept him out for the rest of the year.
“I think he’s readjusted the amount of work he’s doing, because sometimes I think he puts himself out so maximum effort in the offseason that he wears himself down a little bit. So we’ll see exactly how that works,” he added.
McCaffrey’s training routines are well-known online and showcase his obsession with performance, from strength training to running drills and functional movement. This same level of effort may have caused physical burnout before the season began.
Heading into 2025, McCaffrey faces the challenge of regaining full health and staying on the field for the 49ers. His presence completely transforms San Francisco’s offense under Kyle Shanahan and could once again position the team as a serious Super Bowl contender.
