Christian McCaffrey Says Missing 49ers Practice was 'Part of the Plan' amid Injury, Contract Rumors

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey told reporters on Sunday that missing practices this summer was always the plan to keep him fresh for the entire 2026 season, amidst some rumors that perhaps his absences were a contractual hold-in.

"Obviously when you don't practice, the way the media works now it's a firestorm," he said. "But this was kind of part of the plan from the jump was to ramp up pretty big, get nine, 10 practices in, kind of come back down and then ramp back up so we're fresh for the duration. ... And again, I feel great. I feel fresh and it's good to be back out there."

Last week, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that McCaffrey wasn't staging a hold-in and was dealing with "actual tightness."

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said as much this week as well.

"People make a lot of assumptions, and that would be one that they're wrong on," he told reporters regarding the hold-in talk.

For a 49ers team that dealt with massive injury issues last season and is already enduring those same concerns against this summer, keeping McCaffrey healthy and available is the absolute top priority.

The 30-year-old was a beast for the Niners in 2025, rushing for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 102 catches for 924 yards and another seven scores. He was the absolute keystone of the team's offense and helped the beat-up 49ers surprisingly secure a playoff berth.

But his past injury issues, his age and the fact that he's coming off a massive workload in 2025 (413 touches) means managing his health this summer—and during the season—is of the utmost importance.

McCaffrey was back at practice on Sunday, which should put the hold-in talk to rest for good.