49ers’ Christian McCaffrey Skipping OTAs; HC Kyle Shanahan ‘Not Too Concerned’

Paul KasabianFeatured Columnist IIMay 22, 2024

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San Francisco 49ers superstar running back Christian McCaffrey is absent from the team’s voluntary offseason team activities, but head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that he’s “not too concerned” on the matter.

“No, just like everyone else, it is voluntary,” Shanahan said per a team transcript (h/t Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk). “I’m not too concerned about Christian. But no, he hasn’t been here.”

McCaffrey, who turns 28 on June 7, is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. Last year’s Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year led the NFL with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns. His production helped guide the 49ers to an NFC title and a near-Super Bowl win before they fell 25-22 to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime.

CMC appeared at last year’s OTA’s, so his absence this year is at least a bit noteworthy. It’s not uncommon for players to skip OTA’s in search of a better contract, but McCaffrey is in good shape at the moment as he plays out the final two years of a four-year, $64 million contract extension.

As far as why McCaffrey is out, Shanahan didn’t provide any reasoning, but he did say he wasn’t sure if CMC’s absence (or those of wideouts Brandon Aiyuk or Jauan Jennings) were due to contract concerns.

“I’m not sure if that is the case on any of those guys,” Shanahan said. “I’m not throwing them all in who’s here for that reason, who’s not. But it is all voluntary, so we’ll see when it becomes mandatory.”