49ers Plan to Share Load with McCaffrey

0:00It's March 31st. From kickoff to the final whistle, this is NFL News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Christian McCaffrey carried a massive load for the San Francisco 49ers last season. More touches than any player in the league. The team leaned on him hard to keep their offense rolling, but now everyone's saying they got a dialed back starting in 2026. Otherwise, they risk losing that elite version of him for good. Kyle Shanahan made it clear at the NFL owner's meetings. He admitted they planned to ease up on McCaffrey at the start of 2025, but injuries and receiver issues made it tough to pull him off. The field. Still, Shanahan wants a true running back committee to keep McCaffrey fresh all year. McCaffrey himself opened up about how grueling 2025 was, calling it his toughest season yet. For the first time, he straight up welcoming another back to share the workload, signaling he's beat and eyeing longevity at a high level. With free agency options gone and rookies too risky, the 49ers will turn to Jordan James

1:05and Isaac Garendo as backups. Shanahan's really high on James, especially if he stays healthy. Even shaving off five to eight snaps a game per match would be huge. It's all about preserving McCaffrey so the 49ers can run strong for years to come.