Christian McCaffrey Sends Clear Message on Workload in 2026

San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey touches the football more than pretty much everyone in the NFL save for the starting quarterbacks in the league.

McCaffrey had a league-leading and career-high 413 touches last year, but still doesn’t have any concerns about his workload heading into the 2026 season.

“I’ve been dealing with those questions for nine years,” McCaffrey said in response to being asked about touching the ball too much. “I think the workload in our sport is really monitored in practice, not in games. We play 17 regular-season games a year and everybody’s livelihoods are on the line.”

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“So much of it is rhythmic and it’s my job to put my body in the best position I can to go out there and play and I think everything else can be monitored during the week or with a practice schedule or certain ways you train, whatever it may be,” he added. “But when it comes to game days, I like to think you prepare yourself for playing every snap.”

Last year, McCaffrey finished second in the NFL in scrimmage yards (2,126) and third in scrimmage touchdowns (17) while falling 76 receiving yards short of a second career season with at least 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards.

He earned the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year and finished second in Offensive Player of the Year voting.

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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 12:07 AM.