San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey - who is entering his age-30 season - isn't concerned about shouldering a potentially heavy workload after recording a league-leading 413 touches in 2025.
"I've been dealing with those questions for nine years," McCaffrey told reporters this week, per TheSFNiners. "I think the workload in our sport is really monitored in practice, not in games.
"We play 17 regular-season games a year, and everybody's livelihoods are on the line. I would say on Sunday, you've got to do whatever it takes to win, and that's not a coach's job. You don't tell a 3-point shooter: 'You only get six threes today.'"
McCaffrey's 413 touches were 44 ahead of Jonathan Taylor, who finished second among all players with 369. McCaffrey also played 899 offensive snaps, ninth across all skill position players and the most among running backs, according to Fantasy Points.
His heavy usage translated into great production. He finished second in the league in scrimmage yards and won the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award after suiting up in just four games the year prior due to multiple ailments.
However, the three-time first-team All-Pro averaged 3.9 yards per carry - the worst mark of his career since 2021 and his lowest since joining the 49ers.
"I think for me it's just focusing on what I can do, and what I can do better. I think breaking tackles, hitting those long ones, that's something I can be better at," McCaffrey said when asked how the team can improve its rushing attack.
He added, "You can't always control what happens in a play, but if the hole's there, you've got to hit it. You've got to make the 8-10-yard runs into big ones. And if it's not there, you've got to do everything you can to get 4 or 5, whatever it is."
San Francisco's backfield currently includes McCaffrey, Jordan James, Isaac Guerendo, and rookie Kaelon Black. Guerendo, who flashed as a rookie in 2024, didn't record a touch in 14 games last season. He'll be sidelined until the end of training camp after tearing a pectoral muscle, head coach Kyle Shanahan said this week, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
