SANTA CLARA — Christian McCaffrey's 49ers contract extension made him the highest-paid running back in the NFL, and the reigning Offensive Player of the Year does not take that lightly.
McCaffrey’s extension is a two-year $38 million agreement giving him a league-high running back salary of $19 million per season. This obviously is dwarfed by the top receiver salaries recorded during the offseason, but it’s clear the All-Pro feels a responsibility towards his fellow ball carriers.
“It means a lot,” McCaffrey said on Thursday. “It definitely means a lot. I think the running back position has obviously been talked about a lot in the last few years about guys kind of being unfairly paid. I think just to continue to up the number I think is important and it’s a huge honor.”
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McCaffrey was incredibly productive in 2023, not only recording the most total touches in the league at 339, but the most yards from scrimmage at 2,023. The All-Pro’s 1,459 rushing yards also was the most in the NFL.
Heading into training camp with a finalized extension was important to McCaffrey who now can focus solely on preparing for the season ahead.
“Really important,” McCaffrey said. “Any time you can get that done before camp it’s great, but that’s the business side of things. It’s the bittersweet part of this league. So for me, just taking it one day at a time making sure you continue to train, you continue to put your body in the best shape possible, so that when all that stuff is out of the way, you can hit the ground running.”
As far as left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who both are holding in/out for reworked contracts, McCaffrey is hopeful but understands all-too-well the business side of the game. As much as he wants to see his teammates back in the lineup, the ball carrier understands the process.
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McCaffrey refrained from commenting about his teammate’s status, but did indicate how much he would like the situation to be resolved, especially with the team's left tackle.
“No one is a bigger Trent Williams fan than me,” McCaffrey said.