Christian McCaffrey Hopes 49ers Contract Is 'a Step in the Right Direction' for RBs

Christian McCaffrey has a new contract, and he hopes it can set the stage for future running back negotiations.

"I think it's really important," the San Francisco 49ers running back told reporters Tuesday. "Running back's been undervalued for a long time now. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction."

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted San Francisco agreed to a two-year extension with McCaffrey that will keep him under contract for the next four years and pay him an average annual value of $19 million.

Florio noted the previous high for the running back position was $16 million per year. It also gave McCaffrey $24 million in full guarantees after he previously did not have any.

According to Spotrac, Josh Jacobs' $14.8 million with the Green Bay Packers is the next-highest running back contract in terms of total cash for the 2024 campaign.

It was not the worst offseason for running backs as McCaffrey, Jacobs, Saquon Barkley ($13.5 million with Philadelphia Eagles), Joe Mixon ($9.5 million with Houston Texans), Derrick Henry ($9 million with Baltimore Ravens) and D'Andre Swift ($8.5 million with Chicago Bears) are six of the eight running backs in the league making more than $8 million in total cash this year.

They all signed new contracts this offseason.

While running backs are still lower paid than many other positions, it represents some progress after many of them held a meeting to discuss the lukewarm market their position was facing last offseason.

That it was McCaffrey pacing the position comes as no surprise, as the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year led the league with 1,459 rushing yards to go with 67 catches for 564 yards. He accounted for 2,203 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns, which were both NFL-best numbers.

McCaffrey can impact the game as an unstoppable runner and receiver, which is surely what NFL teams are looking for in their running backs.

And he is being paid accordingly.