NFL analyst begins Christian McCaffrey retirement conversation

One NFL analyst questioned how many good years San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has left. McCaffrey has suffered from injuries in recent seasons.

This past season, McCaffrey dealt with an injury that kept him out of the first few weeks of the regular season until November before suffering another injury that ended his season.

McCaffrey only managed to play in four games. Speaking on "Pro Football Talk" on Wednesday, Mike Florio questioned how many good seasons the injury-riddled 28-year-old has in him.

"It still is odd in hindsight, that they made that move for Christian McCaffrey, because it's the antithesis of the Shanahan offense to have a workhorse running back," Florio said (0:54 onwards). "But it's Christian McCaffrey, I think that's it. It's Christian McCaffrey. You wonder how many good years he has left."

McCaffrey was traded from the Carolina Panthers to San Francisco in October 2022. Carolina received a second, third and fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft and a 2024 fifth-round pick. McCaffrey had also dealt with injuries during the last few years of his run with Carolina, but the 49ers still opted to trade for him.

Although he had a fully healthy 2023 season, in which he was crowned Offensive Player of the Year, McCaffrey's injury woes returned this past season.

Will the San Francisco 49ers opt to add a running back in the 2025 NFL draft?

NFL: San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills - Source: Imagn

The San Francisco 49ers may need to add an insurance policy via the 2025 NFL draft for Christian McCaffrey. This is undoubtedly the draft class to do it, as this class has a deep talent pool at running back. Of course, San Francisco is unlikely to use its 11th pick on the position.

San Francisco has many needs on the offensive side of the ball. With the departure of veteran wide receiver Deebo Samuel, the 49ers may need to take a receiver to fill the void left behind by the dual-threat weapon, adding a complement to Brandon Aiyuk in the process.

It will be interesting to see how the 49ers handle the running back position in the draft later this month, given the disappointing 2024 season from McCaffrey.