Christian McCaffrey is contracted to the San Francisco 49ers for at least two more seasons.
Whether he'll stay beyond the 2025 season remains to be seen and will depend largely on how he holds up under an extremely heavy workload since his arrival in a blockbuster 2022 trade with the Carolina Panthers.
But if the 49ers have designs on re-signing McCaffrey to a long-term contract in 2026 or extending him before he has the chance to get to free agency, then they have been done no favors by Austin Ekeler.
"He's underpaid too"
Ekeler recently appeared on the 'God Bless Football' podcast after signing a two-year, $11.43 million contract with the Washington Commanders.
That deal pales in comparison to McCaffrey's contract. The reigning Offensive Player of the Year is the highest-paid running back in the NFL with an average annual salary of $16 million.
Both McCaffrey and Ekeler have been vocal about running backs deserving more lucrative contracts and, when the conversation naturally turned to the long-running debate of the value of the position, the former Los Angeles Charger made a huge claim that could make any future negotiations between the 49ers and their do-it-all star a lot more difficult.
"It really is tough. Because, how do you quantify the impact on the field? I think it's almost skewed a little bit, just because of, I'm really not sure why," said Ekeler.
"Maybe it's because quarterbacks get paid a lot of money and we need someone that can actually catch the ball for these guys and get open. And so maybe there's a little bit more emphasis on, you know, the receiver spot as far as talking skill positions on offense getting paid.
"So, obviously, you got to put product on the field. You know, I think Christian has been an advocate of what the position can be - what the cap is at, right now, anyway in sports. We're all chasing to make as big of an impact as he has. But I think he's underpaid, too. He should be getting paid $25 million a year."
McCaffrey's incredible value
There is no doubting McCaffrey's all-round impact on the field. He is the undisputed focal point of the 49er offense and led the NFL in rushing yards and scrimmage yards last season. He was the only player to finish with over 2,000 scrimmage yards and also finished tied for the league lead in touchdowns with Raheem Mostert (21).
As a receiver McCaffrey was second in first down rate (46.3%), fifth in passer rating when targeted (113.1) and third in positive play rate (54.2%) among running backs with at least 25 targets. He also was first for the position in Sports Info Solutions' Points Earned metric — which takes Expected Points Added and gives an individual value to every player on every scrimmage play — on receiving plays with 20.07. His nearest challenger was Travis Etienne with 14.22.
Still it's extremely difficult to envisage the 49ers being ready to pay McCaffrey, who will be entering his age-29 season when he hits the open market, $25 million a year.
But it's comments like those of Ekeler that are used in contract negotiations by a player's representation to help them gain leverage. It's doubtful that anyone in the 49ers front office will have heard Ekeler's remarks. If they do, they probably won't be too thrilled.
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