Christian McCaffrey tried to squash the injury concerns surrounding him in the lead-up to the San Francisco 49ers’ 2025 season opener.
The All-Pro running back got bit by the injury bug ahead of Sunday’s Week 1 matchup between the Niners and Seattle Seahawks. McCaffrey did not practice on Friday after dealing with a calf issue during a Thursday workout. The 49ers have listed McCaffrey as questionable for the opener as a result.
The injury designation seemingly came out of nowhere because McCaffrey had been healthy throughout the entirety of training camp. But fans were hardly surprised by the news and cracked jokes at McCaffrey’s expense.
McCaffrey spoke to reporters on Friday and tried to dispel any serious concerns about his latest injury setback. The 49ers star acknowledged any skepticism, given his track record.
“I always plan to play,” McCaffrey said. “I feel great about where I’m at. Unfortunately, when you have the injury history that I have, sometimes when you don’t practice, things get blown out of proportion. But like I said, I feel great.
“I’m not supposed to go into anything that happened but I felt like it was the smart thing to do to not finish the practice [Thursday]. I’ve been there before and I’ve been my own worst enemy in situations like that and I was proud of myself for not doing that again. Like I said, I went through a whole training camp. I feel great about where I’m at.”
McCaffrey has consistently been one of the most impactful players in the league whenever he’s healthy and on the field. The “when healthy” part has always been the question with him.
CMC has alternated healthy seasons with lengthy stints on the sidelines throughout his career. He did not miss a game in his first three seasons with the Carolina Panthers. He then missed 23 games combined in 2020 and 2021.
McCaffrey had a clean bill of health to start off his 49ers career after Carolina traded him to San Francisco midway through the 2022 season. He played in all but one game in the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, including six total playoff games.
Last season, McCaffrey’s injury fortunes flipped once again. He missed the 49ers’ first eight games due to a mysterious tendinitis issue and ended the season on the sidelines after tearing the PCL in his right knee.
McCaffrey was named Offensive Player of the Year and finished third in MVP voting after a stellar 2023 season, rushing for 14 touchdowns and an NFL-best 1,459 yards. He had just 202 rushing yards across four games last season.
