Star running back Christian McCaffrey will not play for the San Francisco 49ers during the NFL preseason as he recovers from a calf strain.
McCaffrey strained the calf on Sunday and sat out team drills. When the Niners practiced Tuesday, McCaffrey did not participate, leading Coach Kyle Shanahan to confirm the injury.
The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year is expected to miss at least one week of practice, and the 49ers don’t plan to risk McCaffrey further injuring the calf during any of their three preseason contests.
“He did it a couple days ago,” Shanahan said. “It’s all right. He didn’t pull it or anything, but you guys probably won’t see him this preseason.”
McCaffrey, 28, led the NFL last season with a career-high 1,459 rushing yards on 272 attempts. He racked up 21 total touchdowns, 14 rushing and seven receiving. It was the first full season in San Francisco for the former Stanford star after a midseason trade from the Carolina Panthers in 2022.
McCaffrey has rushed for 6,185 yards and 52 touchdowns, adding 509 receptions for 4,320 yards and 29 scores, in 91 games with the Panthers (2017–22) and 49ers (2022–23).
A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro selection, McCaffrey was rewarded with a two-year, $38 million contract extension this summer.
McCaffrey also was chosen to be the cover athlete for this year’s edition of the “Madden NFL” video-game series.
