The San Francisco 49ers had a miserable year in 2024, and part of the reason for that was the constant absence of star running back Christian McCaffrey. In 2025, the Niners hope to have their offensive ace back in the lineup.
Christian McCaffrey’s Health Crucial to the San Francisco 49ers’ Ambitions
McCaffrey featured in just four games in the 2024 season as the 49ers slumped to a 6-11 record. They found themselves buried at the bottom of the NFC West, while winning just one division game all year.
Their star running back is by far the highest-paid at his position, earning an average of $19 million per season on his current contract. The next largest yearly sum belongs to Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts, whose yearly average is $14 million.
McCaffrey had a sensational year in 2023, his first full season with the 49ers. His 2,400+ all-purpose yards and 26 touchdowns helped the franchise reach the Super Bowl, and while they came up short, the trade for a star running back had paid off.
Unfortunately, an Achilles injury kept the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year sidelined. He didn’t feature until Week 10 of the 2024 season, following the team’s Week 9 bye week.
He then only played in four games before a knee injury shut him down for the rest of the season. The 49ers lost four of their last five games without him, and the season was lost.
Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak was asked about McCaffrey’s health going into the 2025 season, and in response, he provided an update:
“You guys saw in 2023 how important he is to what we want to be as an offense. He’s an elite player. We want to do everything we can to get him the ball as much as we can. So yeah, his health is really important. We want to hand him the ball, we want to throw him the ball.”
49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said Christian McCaffrey “looks awesome” and yeah, he plans to get him the ball: pic.twitter.com/gwK8wfnyfN
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) May 8, 2025
Kubiak went on to talk about how McCaffrey changes the way a defense has to play the 49ers. He said he “looks awesome’, and it seems from the conversation that there’ll be no restrictions with him in 2025.
The 49ers Weren’t Bad, They Just Weren’t Healthy
The 2024 season was forgettable, at least for the 49ers. Brandon Aiyuk went down in Week 7, before McCaffrey could even make it back.
The two didn’t play a single snap together for the franchise in 2024, and they’re two of the most important players to the success of the offense.
Jordan Mason had stepped in to cover for McCaffrey, and he did a great job of it, too. Then he, too, got hurt in Week 13 and was done for the year.
Trent Williams missed seven games, along with multiple other guys missing time on the offensive line.
Those are only the major injuries on offense, and even Brock Purdy was banged up at times.
In 2025, if they’re healthy, the 49ers could turn things around quickly, and find their way right back into the conversation for the NFC Championship.