Christian McCaffrey's surprising absence from San Francisco 49ers OTAs is a poorly timed mystery

There are several absences from OTAs for the San Francisco 49ers that are completely understandable. 

Brandon Aiyuk is looking for a big-time payday while Jauan Jennings also appears to want greater recognition for his contributions than a second-round tender. All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams, meanwhile, has zero need to show up for OTAs at this point in his career.

The case of Christian McCaffrey, however, is more curious.

McCaffrey did everything at OTAs last year, putting in a tremendous amount of effort from the very start of a campaign that ended with him winning Offensive Player of the Year.

This year, he is nowhere to be seen, though Kyle Shanahan insisted on Tuesday that he is unconcerned.

A report from ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio indicated that the 49ers head coach has no need to be worried, claiming that McCaffrey's absence is not contract related.

However, when asked about the 49ers' star offensive weapon, running backs coach Bobby Turner, per NBC Sports Bay Area, said: "Physically he’s not here, but he’s here in every other aspect. That’s the business part, and I’m not getting into that."

Turner's comments would appear to suggest McCaffrey's decision to skip OTAs is at least related to his contract in some capacity.

McCaffrey has two years left on a four-year, $64 million deal he signed when he was still with the Carolina Panthers in 2020. He is due to become a free agent in 2026. 

He will earn an $11.8 million base salary in 2024. That is still comfortably the highest in the NFL among running backs but, after a 2023 season in which he transcended that position with his all-round impact for the 49ers, McCaffrey may feel he deserves a salary closer to the San Francisco's other offensive weapons. Deebo Samuel has a $20.9 million base salary in 2024, while Aiyuk is scheduled to receive $14.1 million on his fifth-year option, though that will likely be lowered if he does sign an extension.

It's not clear if that is want McCaffrey wants but, if his absence is related to his contract, then it's an issue that has come at entirely the wrong time for a 49ers team trying to do deals with both Aiyuk and Jennings in the final year before quarterback Brock Purdy becomes expensive.

The 2024 season is once again an all-in year for the 49ers. However, the likelihood is they probably aren't very keen to illustrate that point by handing more money to McCaffrey and, in turn, remove some of their flexibility to push their chips to the middle of the table at the trade deadline.

There's no concern for now, but McCaffrey's situation is still something worth monitoring with mandatory minicamp on the horizon next month.