How Christian McCaffrey has boosted 49ers offense since trade

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – About 30 minutes after scoring two touchdowns and moving into second place all-time with a 16-game touchdown streak, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was furious.

In the bowels of US Bank Stadium, McCaffrey gritted his teeth and took the podium in an understandably bad mood following his team’s 22-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on October 23. from his mind as he used each question as an opportunity to blame himself for a first-quarter fumble that he believed cost the Niners the game.

The moment was quintessential McCaffrey, full of responsibility and competitive fire that the 49ers hoped to get when they traded 2023 second, third and fourth-round picks and a 2024 fifth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for him. October 20, 2022. But there was something a little different about McCaffrey in that moment: anger.

“There aren’t many guys who are as hard on themselves as he is,” tight end George Kittle said. “You see him make a mistake and he’s very upset about it. And not like emotionally upset. It’s like, ‘I need to be better than that and my expectations of myself are way too high for that.’ . And you never see him make the same mistake twice…Christian is an elite player.”

McCaffrey rarely shows his disgust in public, but this angst was even more surprising because there hasn’t been much to be upset about during his year-plus in San Francisco. As relationships go, this one enjoyed an extended honeymoon in what is shaping up to be one of the most important midseason trades in NFL history.

Through 22 games (including the playoffs), McCaffrey has been the perfect match for the Niners and Kyle Shanahan’s offense, elevating it to new heights with his breakaway running ability and fielding skills. receiving passes. He even made history by tying Hall of Famer Lenny Moore for longest consecutive game streak (including playoffs) with a touchdown at 17, a record he can break on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, EverBank Stadium, Fox). . And McCaffrey is also just one game away from tying Marshall Faulk’s record of 15 career games with a rushing and receiving touchdown.

McCaffrey ranks near the top in almost every major category for a running back, along with his record-breaking touchdown streak. Since joining the Niners, McCaffrey is first in scrimmage yards (2,453), scrimmage touchdowns (26), rushing yards before contact (975) and runs of 10+ yards (41). , second in rushing touchdowns (17), third in rushing yards. (1,636) and fourth in rushing yards after contact (661). Among running backs, he is fifth in yards per carry (4.9) and first in receptions (96) and receiving yards (817) and second in receiving touchdowns (nine).

All this was done at a relatively inexpensive price. When the Niners acquired McCaffrey, they inherited the remaining 3.5 years of the four-year, $64 million contract he signed with Carolina in 2020. Since the Panthers were responsible for the remainder of his bonus signing, the Niners only owe McCaffrey an average of $10,432. million over the last three seasons of the deal.

And McCaffrey’s value to the Niners over the past year goes well beyond eye-popping numbers, highlight plays and dollar figures. On a team brimming with star power, McCaffrey’s biggest superpower is his ability to fit in while still standing out.

His teammates are very impressed with the work he does behind the scenes. According to center Jake Brendel, McCaffrey is one of the few players already in the building when he arrives at 6:15 or 6:30 a.m. and he’s constantly doing things to take care of his body or develop a deeper understanding of the offensive.

The day after McCaffrey suffered an oblique injury in a loss to the Cleveland Browns on October 15, he texted Shanahan to tell him not to leave him out of the game plan and vowed to play against the Vikings even if he didn’t make a decision. practice repetition all week.

“(He means) just a ton,” Shanahan said. “How good he’s been, how reliable he’s been, how reliable he’s been, how he’s learning everything, not just running backs and all that. It’s really easy to put a lot of things on his plate, to move it every week.

“He reminds me of a guy who’s just trying to get people’s attention for working so hard. … He’s a really good example of what a football player is.

In many ways, the Niners were the perfect fit for McCaffrey. After spending more than five seasons with the Panthers, McCaffrey arrived in San Francisco with gaudy individual numbers, but had only played in one playoff game, which Carolina lost.

With the Niners, McCaffrey joins a team ready to contend for the Super Bowl. Add in Shanahan’s knack for designing and calling an offense, the thorough way he and his staff coach, and McCaffrey’s Bay Area familiarity from his years at Stanford, and it took McCaffrey almost no time to feel comfortable.

“It meant everything to me to be a part of this team, this organization, and obviously I’m extremely happy to be here,” McCaffrey said. “I’m so grateful that they gave up their choices to bring me here. It’s changed my perspective on so many things. I feel like I’ve learned so much every day.”

Hours before the McCaffrey trade was announced, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner and fullback Kyle Juszczyk were in the locker room with other teammates laughing at the idea. Not because they didn’t like the idea of ​​adding McCaffrey, but because they didn’t think it was possible.

After all, the Niners didn’t have the first-round pick the Panthers craved and surely another team would be willing to pay that price. But none of that happened and when the news made its way around the Niners locker room, there was nothing but excitement.

At the time of the deal, San Francisco was 3-3 and struggling to find an offensive identity. The Niners ranked 18th in yards per game (340.17), 19th in points per game (20.33) and 18th in expected offensive points added (minus-0.05). It wasn’t hard for his new teammates to imagine how McCaffrey could not only adapt, but thrive, lining up all over the court in San Francisco. Since McCaffrey’s arrival, the 49ers have averaged 371.3 yards per game (fifth in the NFL), 27.9 points per game (third) and posted 6.67 expected offensive points added per game (second) .

“He’s dynamic in all those positions,” Brendel said. “Having kind of a Swiss army knife in your offense, especially in this offense where coach Shanahan does a great job of using personnel in different ways that others usually don’t, it just gives us a lot more ways to succeed. “.

On a team with other stars such as Kittle and receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, McCaffrey has become the undisputed lynchpin of the offense. His versatility and production made it increasingly difficult for Shanahan to take him out of games for short periods of time.

In a given week, Shanahan’s game plan may involve handing it to McCaffrey 25 times, using his gravity to open things up for others, or putting it in his hands in multiple ways like he has made in an October 30, 2022 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, when he became the fourth player since the 1970 merger to throw, run and catch a touchdown in a game.

That versatility, combined with McCaffrey’s obsession with being big, challenges Shanahan and his coaches to never stop looking for creative ways to use him.

“Everyone has these gym rats who work so hard. … We have a guy like that, who is also one of the most talented players in the league,” Shanahan said. “So that’s all about him and how much he loves football, not just with his heart but with his mind. That’s all he thinks about.”