If you’re looking at the San Francisco 49ers roster and trying to identify which players might end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, at least 4 candidates are on the offensive side of the ball alone.
Tight end George Kittle has an outside shot. Wide receiver Mike Evans has a great case.
Offensive tackle Trent Williams seems like a lock. Running back Christian McCaffrey, who is just 1 touchdown away from making NFL history, seems like he’s getting close to earning a spot.
“49ers RB Christian McCaffrey needs one more TD reception to set a new NFL mark for most TD catches by a running back,” ESPN’s Nick Wagoner wrote on his official X account on Thursday. “He’s tied with Marshall Faulk at 36.”
McCaffrey scored his 99th and 100th career touchdowns in a 35-13 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 2.
“50 TD in a Panthers uniform … now 50 scores in Niners gear,” ESPN Insights wrote on its official X account on September 20. “Christian McCaffrey is the 3rd player in NFL history to score 50+ TD for multiple franchises, joining Hall-of-Famers Marshall Faulk (Colts, Rams) and Randy Moss (Vikings, Patriots).”
McCaffrey Has Torched Cards Throughout Career
McCaffrey has absolutely brutalized the 49ers’ Week 3 opponent, the Arizona Cardinals, throughout his career.
The last time he faced the Cardinals, in a 41-22 49ers win in Week 11 of the 2025 regular season, McCaffrey had 121 yards of total offense and 3 touchdowns.
“Christian McCaffrey has faced the Cardinals nine times, and he’s finished as an RB1 all nine, averaging 29.3 fantasy points per game,” Fantasy Football expert Ryan McDowell wrote on his official X account on September 24.
In 2023, when McCaffrey was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year, he put up 358 yards of offense and scored 7 touchdowns in 2 wins over the Cardinals.
Making McCaffrey’s Hall of Fame Case in 2026
McCaffrey, 30, is in his 10th NFL season — a career that includes 2 seasons almost completely wiped out due to injuries.
The No. 8 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft — just 2 picks ahead of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — McCaffrey will have approximately $127.4 million in career earnings once his current contract runs out after the 2027 season.
The Pro Football Reference Hall of Fame monitor uses AV, Pro Bowls, All-Pros, championships, and various stat milestones to create an analytics-based approach to seeing if a player is headed for the Hall of Fame.
McCaffrey’s current HOFm rating of 54.02 is higher than that of just 2 running backs who have made the Hall of Fame: Larry Csonka and Floyd Little — neither of whom played in anything resembling the modern era of football.
The next running back to make the Hall of Fame could hurt McCaffrey’s case — 2012 NFL MVP Adrian Peterson.
Peterson, who is eligible to be elected for the 1st time in 2027, has an HOFm rating of 125.67. Only 1 running back with a Top 10 rating, former 49ers running back Frank Gore (101.05) hasn’t been elected to the Hall of Fame.
Gore was denied entry into the Hall of Fame in 2026, his 1st year of eligibility, and his 16,000 career rushing yards are 3rd in NFL history, behind only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey 1 TD Away From Making NFL History