Chad Johnson Has an Offer for the San Francisco 49ers to Solve Their Injury Crisis

Most years in the NFL, there is one team that is disproportionately beset by injuries. It almost seems like they’re cursed. In 2024, that team has been the San Francisco 49ers. They came in as top contenders to return to the Super Bowl, but a litany of injuries to their top players has left them in last place in their division with three games to go. Luckily for them, Chad Johnson is offering up a solution.

It was reported on Thursday that the 49ers would likely be without their current starter at running back, rookie Isaac Guerendo, for their Week 16 contest. In a perfect world, Guerendo would be their 4th-string back, but the three in front of him are all injured as well. It’s a microcosm of San Fran’s overall injury luck this year, but Ochocinco believes it all comes back to nutrition.

In response to the Guerendo injury news, the six-time Pro Bowler put himself forth as just the man to get them a quick fix.

“Hire me as the team nutritionist & NOBODY gets injured,” he wrote on X.

Niner fans have become used to a certain level of success in recent years. Since 2019, they have reached the NFC Conference Championship four times, advancing to the Super Bowl twice. Unfortunately, they lost both times when they reached the Big Game, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019 and last year, in 2023. 6-8 and last place this year will have them rethinking everything.

49ers fans react to Ochocinco’s McDonalds diet

They’re likely to miss out on the playoffs this year, so some 49ers fans are feigning desperation, jokingly calling on owner Jed York to bring Chad Johnson in. Johnson is known for his love of Mcdonald’s, so most other Niners fans amused themselves with the hypothetical of Ochocinco putting their 49ers on a Mcdonalds’s diet.

All jokes aside, when a team has this many injuries in one season, it’s not usually just bad luck. Often, it goes back to the training staff and how they’re preparing the players’ bodies for the rigors of the game. Especially when you have a lot of muscle injuries like the 49ers do.

Christian McCaffrey missed most of the season with a calf issue that turned into an Achilles scare. He even went to Germany to try and find answers. That’s not exactly a glowing endorsement of San Francisco’s training staff. George Kittle has missed a couple of games with a hamstring issue and Guerendo’s ailment is also related to his hammy. Elijah Mitchell was placed on IR due to a hamstring problem as well.

There have been more bad bounces, though. Brandon Aiyuk was lost early in the season with a torn ACL. First-round rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot just prior to the season, forcing him to miss several games. Jordan Mason was placed on IR with an ankle injury, and all-world left tackle Trent Williams has missed four games with an ankle issue as well. Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel, Brock Purdy and Talanoa Hufanga have all missed games for San Francisco this season as well.

It doesn’t seem the 49ers will be able to overcome this rash of bad health. But it should make them take a second look at their training and recovery regimens. Chad Johnson and his McDonald’s diet might not be the answer, but there is likely a more sensible alternative out there.