San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak is pumped to get Christian McCaffrey back fully healthy for the 2025 season. But the key is, can McCaffrey actually stay healthy for the full season? He missed pretty much all of 2024 with an Achilles issue and then a torn PCL. This has been the one thing to hold McCaffrey back from being one of the greatest running backs in NFL history.
That said, Kubiak talked glowingly about McCaffrey and his offseason recovery, teasing how he’s going to reprise McCaffrey’s role this year. In 2023, McCaffrey had a career season with nearly 1,500 rushing yards and 21 total touchdowns.
The San Francisco 49ers obviously missed his presence through his injury-riddled season and hobbled to a 6-11 record in 2024, missing the playoffs after reaching the Super Bowl in 2023. Kubiak has every reason to be happy to have McCaffrey back because this offense desperately needs him healthy.
They dealt Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders and lost backup running back Jordan Mason to the Minnesota Vikings this offseason. That leaves George Kittle, Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk, who’s coming off an ACL injury as well, to produce for this offense.
Klay Kubiak is eyeing another historic season for Christian McCaffrey in his return from injury-laden 2024 season
Kubiak’s plan is to use McCaffrey essentially exactly like the 49ers did in 2023. That’s obviously easier said than done. But the 49ers need that version of McCaffrey, as they sent away one of their most elite playmakers.
What made McCaffrey’s season in 2023 so strong was the fact that the 49ers had weapons all over the place, so much so that even Samuel was lining up in the backfield. They don’t have Samuel and with Aiyuk coming off a knee injury, defenses may not be intimidated by the 49ers now, even if they are healthy.
Kubiak’s job will be to not just get the most out of McCaffrey, but the rest of the playmakers. Ricky Pearsall will probably have a bigger role with Samuel gone. McCaffrey will have a mountain of pressure on him. And George Kittle won’t be able to regress either.
This offense, and more specifically Brock Purdy, thrives when the playmakers make the plays. Purdy showed last year, he’s probably not going to win too many games without his best guys on the field. Most quarterbacks can’t, but that’s been one of his biggest red flags.
In the 2025 season, there will be no excuses. The 49ers gave away one of their top usage players in hopes that others will step up. For the sake of Kubiak and McCaffrey’s health, others will have to step up.
This upcoming season is contingent on how healthy the 49ers stay and how well McCaffrey plays. That’s why Kubiak is elated to have him back healthy. Because if he can play like he did in 2023, the 49ers just might be back.