Christian McCaffrey's 49ers contributions paid off -- literally -- on Tuesday, and he couldn't be happier with how things played out.
The All-Pro running back noticeably was absent from San Francisco's voluntary organized team activities over the past two weeks, and McCaffrey confirmed Tuesday that both sides were negotiating a new deal.
"Business is business; it's part of this game," McCaffrey told reporters Tuesday. "Both sides were mutually very respectful the whole time. [I'm] just proud and happy that we got something done."
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McCaffrey, who originally was under contract with the 49ers until 2025, signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him in the Bay through the 2027 NFL season. The extension is for two years and $38 million, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported.
The new contract will make him the league's highest-paid running back at an average value of $19 million per season.
Given how openly passionate McCaffrey has been about running backs becoming increasingly undervalued, the 27-year-old hopes to use his situation to continue paving the way for other backs around the league.
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"I think it's really important," McCaffrey said. "Running backs have been undervalued for a long time now and hopefully this is a step in the right direction."
McCaffrey's historic payday is well deserved, coming off his first full season with the 49ers in which he recorded 272 carries for 1,459 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground to go along with 67 receptions for 564 receiving yards and seven touchdowns through the air. His impressive 2023 campaign earned him the league's Offensive Player of the Year award.
Nobody appreciates McCaffrey's unique talent quite like fellow 49ers star playmaker Deebo Samuel, who placed a friendly wager with another teammate on when McCaffrey would return to the team's offseason program.
"When I seen it came back, I kind of won some money from some of my teammates because they said he wasn't coming, but I knew he was coming," Samuel said Tuesday. "Nobody wants to give up money, but anyways, like I said, it's just good to see people get what they deserve.
"At the end of the day, they move past it and we just getting better and better every day."
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