Each summer, NFL teams such as the San Francisco 49ers make decisions that they believe will boost their chances of winning the Super Bowl. Sometimes these moves backfire. Other times, decisions appear to be winners before becoming losers.
That is the situation with one of the 49ers’ most recent contract extensions. Recently, Sports Illustrated’s Jose Luis Sanchez III attempted to pinpoint the 2024 contract extension that “the 49ers regret most.” Which one stood out the most? Christian McCaffrey gets an extension.
“It has to be McCaffrey,” Sanchez wrote. “2024 was a dismal year for the 49ers, in part due to his bilateral Achilles injury. I assume McCaffrey was aware of this but did not inform the 49ers when he received his extension last June. Perhaps he did divulge it and the 49ers didn’t care.”
It’s difficult not to agree. The two-time All-Pro was signed to a two-year, $38 million contract extension in June 2024, but he only played four games due to an injury. When he did play, Sanchez complained about the “noticeable lack of burst” exhibited by the three-time Pro Bowl back.
Sanchez sees McCaffrey’s future as a “extremely high-risk, high-reward situation.” There is no assurance that the 28-year-old will ever regain his peak form, but he will remain under contract with the 49ers until the 2027 season. While his 2026 cap hit of $9.7 million is manageable, his 2027 cap hit of $25.3 million is not, especially given his age of 31.
However, if the 49ers are dissatisfied with McCaffrey’s performance next season, they may decide to part ways with him in the 2025-26 offseason, incurring only a $8.5 million dead cap penalty. That makes next year a critical season for the 49ers’ starting running back.
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