Is it still possible for NFL running backs to dominate deep into their 30s?

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is arguably the best all-around rusher in the NFL. In his first full campaign with the 49ers last season, McCaffrey rushed for 1,459 yards, caught 67 passes for 564 yards and tallied 21 total touchdowns.

McCaffrey is viewed as the best for a reason and he is extremely confident in his abilities. It can be said that McCaffrey was destined for NFL greatness being the son of former Denver Bronco and two-time Super Bowl champion Ed McCaffrey.

After being traded to San Franciso during the 2022 season, McCaffrey has been rejuvenated following two injury-plagued years in 2020 and 2021 with the Carolina Panthers. And McCaffrey believes he can play at this level into his mid-30s.

"Absolutely," McCaffrey said about playing deep into his 30s. "I don't put limits on anything. I always go off how I feel, and I feel fantastic."

That’s the confidence we’ve come to expect from McCaffrey. But how realistic is it? By the age of 30, most NFL running backs no matter how good they’ve been, are usually in decline or hitting a wall. And even for the few who are still serviceable, the league tends to quickly move on in favor of younger, cheaper options.

At age 27, McCaffrey seems to still have many high-quality seasons left in the tank, but many times, father time creeps up out of nowhere. Ezekiel Elliott’s days as an elite back were pretty much done in Dallas by the age of 25.

Then you look at a freak of nature at the position like Adrian Peterson. The former Oklahoma star played until the age of 36, last suiting up during the 2021 campaign. Peterson rushed for 1,042 yards at age 33 for the Washington Commanders in 2018. Even then, though, Peterson had been removed from elite status for years.

So, it’s not impossible, but very unlikely. Players like Emmitt Smith, Frank Gore and Marcus Allen were active well into their 30s and while they may have been good, domination was no longer on the menu. Chicago Bears great Walter Payton played until the age of 34 and rushed for 1,333 yards during his second-to-last year in the league, when he was 33 years old.

Payton retired following the 1987 season, when he suited up for 12 games and rushed for 533 yards. Because of the beating players take at the position, it’s rare for running backs to make it to their 30s and still serve as viable NFL options — let alone ones who can dominate the game.

If McCaffrey thinks he can do it, then that’s half the battle right there. But there are so many variables involved in having a long NFL career. Just being available and staying on the field becomes more and more difficult every year after that "30" milestone.

However, McCaffrey has shown over the years that he’s one of those guys you might not want to bet against.