San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has expressed his desire to protect Christian McCaffrey from himself next season, after a busy year for the running back in the 2023 campaign.
Christian McCaffrey’s Sensational 2023 Season
Christian McCaffrey was without a doubt the most influential non-quarterback player in the NFL last season, with the league’s offensive player of the year spearheading the San Francisco offense all the way to Super Bowl LVIII.
The 28-year-old rightfully earned a new contract with the 49ers after a record-breaking season and he was recently unveiled as the Madden 25 cover star, which McCaffrey himself said was a ‘lifelong dream come true’.
Lifelong Dream Come True!🙏🏼 #Madden25 Coverhttps://t.co/Rhc2uvstc9@49ers | #EAthlete | @EAMaddenNFL pic.twitter.com/VL4UhohdZp
— Christian McCaffrey (@CMC_22) June 11, 2024
McCaffrey scored 21 touchdowns in 16 games during 2023, and his 17-game touchdown streak goes down in franchise history as the longest ever recorded.
Kyle Shanahan Wants To Protect Christian McCaffrey
With McCaffery playing such an integral role in the 49ers offense, head coach Kyle Shanahan emphasized the importance of keeping one of his star players protected this year.
“We have guys that can run the ball. We have to protect Christian from himself. He doesn’t like to ever come out no matter what the situation is, and I do think that’s something we could protect him with more.” Shanahan said during offseason workouts.
“When you are such a threat in the pass game, it’s a little bit different. … But if he’s just taking the wear and tear with 20 carries and stuff every game — and he’s definitely good enough to do that and he has proved he can stay healthy — but you’d like to take some of that off of him and give it to other guys also.”
McCaffrey has been impressive in both his rushing and receiving plays, with the multi-talented star becoming almost irreplaceable for San Francisco no matter what down is being played.
The 49ers superstar has no doubt been enjoying a quiet off-season but as well as being confirmed as the Madden 25 cover star, he also got married to long-term girlfriend Olivia Culpo last weekend in Rhode Island.
Kyle Shanahan, George Kittle, and Kyle Juszczyk on hand for Christian McCaffrey’s and Olivia Culpo’s wedding 🙌🏼#49ers || #FTTB pic.twitter.com/ZLpwWUbd2g
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) June 30, 2024
Teammates George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk were spotted at the ceremony, alongside head coach Kyle Shanahan who was rocking a new mustache ahead of the new season.
