This season, the 49ers are having a tough time without their star running back Christian McCaffrey, and with no timeline for his recovery, things might take a bad turn in the coming weeks. Well, Grant Cohn, a multimedia journalist, believes the team is facing the consequences of its own actions. He believes that the 49ers played a role in McCaffrey’s injury.
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While discussing the running back’s injury, Cohn claimed that McCaffrey’s issue wasn’t due to a training incident but rather because the team ‘overused’ him. This was reportedly the result of their reluctance to give Jordan Mason more playing time.
“To me, this is like roster politics gone wrong. You knew Jordan Mason was a good running back, but he was an undrafted free agent. And even though he was averaging six yards to carry (the team) couldn’t really justify putting him on the field.”
Cohn further explained that last season, McCaffrey was negotiating for a deal with better ‘guarantee’ terms, and to strengthen his case, he pushed his body to the limit in every play.
He scored 21 touchdowns while rushing for a career-best 1,459 yards and was the centerpiece of the team’s offense during their Super Bowl campaign.
Notably, he scored 2 touchdowns against the Lions in the NFC Championship game, helping his team recover from a 17-point deficit to win. While this performance was groundbreaking, it may have taken a toll on the star running back.
That said, performances like these often lead to lucrative contracts, and the 49ers didn’t hesitate to make the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year the highest-paid running back in the league.
The star running succeeded in extending his deal, but the foot injury spoiled all his plans. He reported pain in his ankle after performing some running drills during the pre-season training and was ruled out from the Week 1 game. The team expected him to return after a few weeks, but it was recently revealed that his injury might sideline him for the entire season.
It’s also worth mentioning that while McCaffrey received full support from fans after his injury following the new contract, Brandon Aiyuk, who signed a $120 million deal, hasn’t experienced the same level of backing.
Why does McCaffrey get special treatment?
As the conversation progressed on the podcast, Co-host Ryan G Hensley claimed that the 49ers were aware of McCaffrey’s injury when they extended his $19 million/year deal for the next two years.
He further noted that while ‘people are ripping Brandon Aiyuk’ for his performance after securing a $120 million deal, the 49ers faithful have remained silent about McCaffrey, who has yet to play a single game since signing his new contract.
Aiyuk delivered a strong performance in 2023 but hasn’t lived up to the hype in the first four games of this season. In McCaffrey’s absence, the team expected him to take on a bigger role, but he hasn’t even averaged 50 yards per game.
The team is relying heavily on backup WR Jauan Jennings, who makes barely a quarter of Aiyuk’s paycheck, and this isn’t putting Aiyuk in a favorable light.
