Getty 49ers stars Christian McCaffrey (left) and Deebo Samuel
When a player does not show up for OTAs, despite the fact that they are voluntary workouts and there is no requirement that the player be present, alarm bells are nonetheless raised. Players who do not show up are usually doing so not because they’ve got something better to do, but because they’re sending the team a message. That was clear with the 49ers and, say, Brandon Aiyuk. But what message should be taken from Christian McCaffrey’s OTA absence?
An OTA holdout is not a training camp holdout, of course. But it’s still a holdout of sorts. And McCaffrey’s absence, despite a report from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio that it was not a demand for a new contract, certainly has something to do with his contract—most likely that he is the most important player in the 49ers offense, yet ranks behind Trent Williams, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Aiyuk (should he get a new contract, as expected) in terms of salary.
The conundrum is obvious—McCaffrey is the highest-paid running back, as he should be, but the running back market has collapsed in recent years. So the 49ers are paying McCaffrey well commensurate to the rest of the league, but not well compared to his teammates.
It’s an interesting issue. And at the “Locked on 49ers” podcast, host Brian Peacock had an innovative way to address the issue: Make McCaffrey a wide receiver, replacing Samuel.
49ers Payroll Hierarchy is Off
Peacock is working under the assumption that the 49ers will have to trade Samuel next offseason, that once Aiyuk signs his new extension, the 49ers will not be able to keep both. After spending some days around the draft shuffling through their options on Samuel and Aiyuk, the 49ers kept both, something they could handle through 2024, but not beyond.
Having McCaffrey migrate into more of a wide receiver role would accomplish a few goals.
First, it allow the team to replace Samuel with McCaffrey in the Swiss-Army-knife role running out of the slot. Second, it will remove some of the grind that McCaffrey deals with on a week-to-week basis, reducing his wear-and-tear and keeping him active for longer. Third, it will change McCaffrey’s pay scale, getting him into the wide-receiver payout category.
McCaffrey is entering the third year of a four-year, $64 million contract he signed while he was with Carolina, so technically, the 49ers have nothing to worry about contract-wise. But he could make a stink about being underpaid.
At $28.6 million, Samuel makes double McCaffrey’s salary in 2024.
Christian McCaffrey ‘Replacement for Deebo Samuel’?
That is absurd, of course, despite how good Samuel is. McCaffrey carried the ball 272 times for 1,459 yards last season, which led the league. He also caught 67 passes, which was tied for 44th in the NFL
Here’s how Peacock put it, and the logic is impeccable:
“Should he be more of a wide receiver in the future? In my opinion, he should be. It’s not Ricky Pearsall—Christian McCaffrey should be the heir apparent and the replacement for Deebo Samuel if Samuel is to be traded next offseason. I think that’s how you elongate Christian McCaffrey’s career.
“If McCaffrey is going to get 20 carries a game, he is not going to last into his 30s, it doesn’t happen for running backs. But what if you take 10 of his carries away, give them to another one of the six running backs on the roster currently, and then give him five more receptions per game, more wide-back usage? Be smart, move him around, move him around in the slot. Screens. Give him the ball in space a little more. Let him create because I think that is how he can age more gracefully than a lot of other running backs in NFL history have.”