Christian McCaffrey

Christian Jackson McCaffrey is an American Football running back who plays in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. He is the son of former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey. Christian played college football at Stanford University. In his sophomore year, he made it all the way to the Heisman trophy final but eventually lost out to fellow running back Derrick Henry. However, his performance was not overlooked as he was named the AP College Football Player of the Year.

In the 2017 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers who had the eighth pick selected Christian McCaffrey, thus commencing his journey in the NFL. MacCaffrey put up decent numbers in his rookie year, but it was in his second year when he really hit the ground running. In 2019, his third season, he finished the year with over 1,000 rushing as well as receiving yards in the regular season. Unfortunately, though, he was unable to carry his momentum to the next seasons as he suffered regular injuries in 2020 and 2021 resulting in many missed games. In 2022, after playing 6 games with the Panthers, he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers where he again made good contributions both running and receiving the ball. McCaffrey was a significant part of the 49ers team that reached the NFC Championship game before key injuries to their quarterbacks derailed their charge to the Super Bowl.

Early life and background

Christian McCaffrey is a native of Castle Rock, Colorado and was born there on June 7, 1996. He attended Valor Christian high school in Colorado where he played multiple positions such as running back, wide receiver, cornerback and punter. He broke numerous records in high school football and was also named the Gatorade Football Player of the Year two years in a row. Along with football, McCaffrey was interested and played basketball, and track and field. Coming out of high school, he was given a four-star recruit rating by Rivals.com.

In 2014, he joined Stanford University for further education and played on the Cardinal football team. His sophomore year was an excellent one as he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Along the way, McCaffrey won other awards such as the AP College Football Player of the Year. He finished his Junior year with a strong showing as well and decided to skip his Senior year so as to enter the NFL Draft.

Christian McCaffrey’s NFL Draft

Christian McCaffrey was part of the 2017 NFL Draft. Before the draft, many analysts and experts saw him going early in the first round. In fact, Sports Illustrated ranked him as the third-best running back of the class, while Pro Football Focus and ESPN ranked him as the fourth-best and second best respectively. Eventually, with the 8th pick overall, the Carolina Panthers selected Christian McCaffrey in the first round. Other noteworthy players from the 2017 NFL Draft are Leonard Fournette, Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Myles Garrett, T. J. Watt, George Kittle and more.

Christian McCaffrey’s NFL Journey

Christian McCaffrey headed into the 2017 NFL draft with high expectations and was considered a first-round prospect by many experts. After joining the Panthers and having a decent rookie year, he turned his game up a notch and played some great football for the next couple of years before injuries stunted his growth. He is back on track now after he again had a good 2022-23 campaign and looks set to build on his journey once again.

Christian McCaffrey’s Teams

Carolina Panthers (2017-2022)

Christian McCaffrey’s dream of making it in the NFL was realized when the Panthers selected him in the 2017 NFL Draft. He didn’t exactly come out lights blazing in his rookie season though. In fact, even though he played as a running back, his productivity as a receiver was much better as he totalled 651 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns against 435 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. However, he had his best seasons in his second and third years as he rushed for over 1,000 yards and had similar numbers receiving the ball as well. His third season was especially good considering that he had 1,000 plus yards both in rushing and receiving. Just as it seemed that he was settling in really well in the Carolina offense, his next couple of years hampered his development due to various injuries. This meant that he missed out on a considerable number of games. In 2022, after a third of the season was over, he was traded to the 49ers in exchange for draft picks in 2023 and 2024.

San Francisco 49ers

As McCaffrey is relatively new to the 49ers, there isn’t much to talk about here. Though, he did receive many touches in the 11 regular season games that he played with the team. There is little doubt that had he played all 16 games with the 49ers, he could have had one of his best years. San Francisco made a deep playoff run losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the conference championship. McCaffrey had a decent output raking up 238 yards in 3 games.

Christian McCaffrey’s Family Background

Christian McCaffrey comes from a completely sports-oriented family background. His father Edward McCaffrey better known as Ed McCaffrey was a very effective wide receiver in the 90s and early 2000s. Christian has an uncle named Billy who played basketball at Duke University while one of his aunts Monica played basketball at Georgetown University. His mother Lisa Sime is the daughter of Olympic sprinter Dave Sime, and she herself played soccer at Stanford University.

Christian also has three brothers and all of them have played football at least at the college level. His oldest brother Max played wide receiver at Duke and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2016, but unfortunately, his career as a player never took off in the NFL. After being a member of off-season or practice squads only with several teams up until 2020, he quit the league to focus on a career in coaching. Max joined the University of Northern Colorado in 2020 as a wide receiver’s coach, then became the offensive coordinator with the same team. As of 2023, he has been given the role of an offensive assistant with the Miami Dolphins.

Christian’s younger brother Dylan plays as a quarterback for the University of Northern Colorado where incidentally his brother Max was the offensive coordinator. The youngest McCaffrey brother - Luke is a wide receiver who plays for the Rice Owls football team at Rice University.

Christian McCaffrey’s Father

Ed McCaffrey attended Stanford University and was drafted in the third round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the New York Giants where he played 3 seasons. After a lone season in San Francisco, he spent the rest of his nine years playing for the Denver Broncos. In Denver, he became a go-to guy for the quarterback, Hall of Famer, John Elway. McCaffrey is a three-time Super Bowl champion, one with the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX and two more with the Broncos in Super Bowls XXII and XXIII.

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Christian McCaffrey’s Fiancée

Christian McCaffrey is engaged to his girlfriend Olivia Culpo. Culpo is a fashion model, social media influencer, and actress. Born in 1992 in Rhode Island, Olivia won the Miss Universe title in 2012. Prior to this, she was also the winner of Miss Rhode Island and then Miss USA. She has a great fan following on social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter. She is also associated with many top brands such as L’Oreal, Kipling, Timex, GHD and more. The former Miss Universe also made an appearance in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. As an actress, debuted in television with an appearance in the reality television show Model Squad (2018). Afterwards, she was cast in movies such as I Feel Pretty Reprisal, The Other Woman and Venus as a Boy.

In 2017 she entered the world of entrepreneurship by launching her first restaurant with her family called Back 40. In 2022, she opened her second restaurant called Union and Main. Diversifying her entrepreneurship, she has also launched an eyewear collection and co-founded numerous other businesses. She founded the organization More than a Mask during the Covid-19 crisis and the income from a line of non-surgical, non-medical fashion masks were donated to various organizations.

The lovely pair of Christian McCaffrey and Olivia Culpo have been together since 2020. In April 2023, McCaffrey popped the question and got engaged to Culpo making their relationship official.

Christian McCaffrey’s Net Worth

Christian McCaffrey’s current net worth stands at around $10 million. He entered the league with the Carolina Panthers who signed him to a four-year deal worth $17.2 million. Following that, he signed a four-year extension in April 2020 due to end in 2025 and is worth $64 million.

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Christian McCaffrey Brand Ambassador

McCaffrey became the brand ambassador for Flag & Anthem which is a menswear brand. They approached the running back for a campaign during the Fall of 2019. This campaign was set in Mccaffrey’s home state of Colorado. It consisted of the brand's latest collection of casual flannel button-downs, elevated henleys, graphic t-shirts, and refined denim styles. This was their effort to bring the world of sports and fashion together.

Christian McCaffrey’s Career Stats

Regular season

Postseason

Christian McCaffrey’s Achievements

Christian McCaffrey has been playing and associated with football for a very long time. Being brought up in a family where his father was the main inspiration followed by his older brother, getting a chance to play in the NFL has been a dream come true for him. Having said that, he himself has had some memorable performances on the turf. Missing out on the Heisman trophy in his sophomore year, McCaffrey has had some other notable achievements in his short career till now.

• First-team All Pro (2019)

• Second-team All Pro (2018)

• 2 x Pro Bowler (2019, 2022)

• Paul Hornung Award (2015)

• Jet Award (2015)

• AP College Football Player of the Year (2015)

• Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year (2015)

• Consensus All-American (2015)

• 2× First-team All-Pac-12 (2015, 2016)

Christian McCaffrey’s Contract

As of now, McCaffrey is in his second year of the four-year extension he signed with the Panthers back in 2020. The extension was due to start in the 2021 season. With a four-year $64 million contract, McCaffrey became the highest-earning running back with a $16 million per year salary. From the extension, he also received a $30 million guarantee at the time of signing.

Christian McCaffrey’s Diet

As a professional athlete, McCaffrey is just as careful as to what he puts in his body as the others. Having a well-balanced diet is of utmost importance for everyone but more so for athletes as they have to bring their A-game every time they step on the field. Christian McCaffrey is no different and so he follows a strict diet which helps support his muscle gain. He incorporates a balanced amount of lean protein, fats, and complex carbs ensuring that he does not become tired and can perform to the best of his abilities on a daily basis.

In fact, McCaffrey has hired a personal cook and gets his blood checked twice a year to be on the watch for allergies, or deficiencies in his body. Doing so, he learned that he had to eliminate chicken, tuna, soy and wheat from his nutrition. For breakfast, he normally has egg yolks with a sweet potato or a fruit. Lunch is mainly something like bison chili with potatoes, peppers, and vegetables made with some type of stew. In addition, he likes to drink soup from time to time. For dinner, it is usually some type of meat like a steak and sweet potatoes.

Christian McCaffrey’s House

After moving from the Panthers to the 49ers, Christian McCaffrey is believed to be selling his apartment in Charlotte, North Carolina. The apartment is a three-bedroom, four-bathroom, 3,813 square-feet home which the 49ers running back has lavishly furnished. It has a beautiful penthouse view and comes with a tall 25-foot high ceiling. It has a rooftop terrace where half of the portion is covered with turf and great outdoor seating. His residential status in San Francisco is not known yet.