The San Francisco 49ers plan to use one of their best offensive players less in the regular season after extending him in the offseason. The 49ers are concerned about the longevity of one of the most important pieces of their offense, Christian McCaffrey. But that plan depends on how things go with other offensive players like Elijah Mitchell and Brandon Aiyuk.
The San Francisco 49ers paid Christian McCarthy a generous sum
As previously discussed on GH, the 49ers extended McCaffrey’s contract earlier this month. The four-time All-Pro running back received a raise in the form of a two-year, $38 million extension, with $24 million guaranteed. He is signed with the 49ers through the 2027 season, earning $8 million more than he made in his first two seasons.
Since being traded to San Francisco in the 2022 season, McCaffrey has been arguably the key element of the 49ers’ offense. According to The Sporty, The 49ers don’t want to use McCaffrey as much this season, afraid of putting too much strain on a running back they’re investing so much money in through the 2027 season.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan had a tough time benching McCaffrey last season because Mitchell was injured and the league’s 2023 Offensive Player of the Year was so effective when he was on the field, but they know that such reckless use will ultimately lead to diminishing returns.
The 49ers want to protect McCaffrey
According to an article from The Athletic, Shanahan said he wanted to protect McCaffrey “from himself” this season:
“We have guys that can run the ball,” Shanahan said earlier this month. “We have to protect Christian from himself. He never likes to come out, no matter what the situation, and I think that’s something we could do to protect him better. When you’re that dangerous in the passing game, it’s a little different.”
But when he just takes on the burden of carrying the ball 20 times a game and stuff like that – and he’s definitely good enough to do that and he’s proven he can stay healthy – you want to take some of that off him and give it to other guys, too.”
Will Aiyuk help the 49ers carry the load?
The 49ers would also like to give Aiyuk the ball more often. However, it is unclear whether the 49ers will have Aiyuk on the bench for the 2024 season if they do not agree to a new contract before September. The 49ers would prefer to use Aiyuk the way the Cincinnati Bengals are using Tee Higgins, at least this season.
Aiyuk could sit out as the team is arguing over $2 million per year for him, while they gave their running back an additional $4 million per year in the same offseason.
One has to wonder if McCaffrey’s raise means the team needs to give him more playing time this season, even if it threatens his longevity. The 49ers are taking a risk by being the team that spends too much money on a position that is rapidly declining in value and (at least for now) disrespects positions with high value.
