The San Francisco 49ers made for a great fit for Christian McCaffrey when he arrived in the middle of the 2022 NFL season. After only playing 10 games between the 2020 and 2021 seasons, some may have doubted how much longer the 49ers star running back had left in his career and whether retirement was possible. The position is well-known for steep dropoffs and shortened careers. McCaffrey plans on being the exception to the rule and then some, according to a recent profile by DJ Siddiqi of Responsible Gambling.
“Absolutely,” McCaffrey said when asked if he could play into his 30's. “I don't put limits on anything. I always go off how I feel and I feel fantastic. I feel great. I look at guys around the league who are my age and are still balling, guys older than me like Derrick Henry and Raheem Mostert. They're in their 30's and they're Pro Bowlers and All-Pro caliber players. I absolutely think you can go as long as you want.”
The 2023 season saw many career-bests for McCaffrey, including a league-leading 1,459 rushing yards and 21 combined touchdowns. Add in 67 receptions for 564 yards and CMC collected an NFL-best 2,023 yards from scrimmage on just 339 touches. His 6.0 yards per touch also led the league.
What Christian McCaffrey can accomplish in his career before retirement
Before his arrival to the Bay Area, McCaffrey had only played in one playoff game, a forgettable 31-26 Wild Card loss to the New Orleans Saints. Carolina was just a year removed from their Super Bowl loss to the Denver Broncos, so those early career struggles primed McCaffrey for more postseason chances in San Francisco.
Since landing with the 49ers, McCaffrey has played in six playoff games, including a Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Given his family's sports pedigree, it's no wonder McCaffrey aspires to play for so long. His father, Ed, is a former NFL receiver and three-time Super Bowl champion. He played for the New York Giants, San Francisco and Denver. His mother, Lisa, was a four-time letterman in tennis. She turned down a Vanderbilt women's soccer scholarship to play at Stanford.
It's no wonder McCaffrey is focused on extending his 49ers career and dismissing the idea of retirement. He continued in the profile to give tips to young athletes trying to build a career in sports.
“I think for the young kids, play multiple sports – that's my biggest advice,” suggests McCaffrey. “I think we live in an era where kids are starting to be so focused on one sport all year round. I think that can lead to negative habits. You might be better at that age, but I don't think it's better for you in the long run. I think one of the best things I did was play basketball, run track, and play baseball growing up. Because you're training your brain more so than anything on how to be athletic. The best football players are the best athletes.”
It shows that being pretty good at everything doesn't hurt. That seems to be McCaffrey's secret sauce for a long, productive career.
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