Kyle Shanahan responds to Christian McCaffrey contract speculation

San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey missed yet another practice due to “tightness.”

McCaffrey’s absence led to speculation that the star RB is “holding in” with hopes of getting a new deal. However, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan shot that down on Tuesday.

“People make a lot of assumptions, and that would be one that they’re wrong on,” Shanahan said, via Matt Barrows of The Athletic.

Shanahan later said that if it were a game week, McCaffrey would’ve practiced, so that’s an indication that the injury isn’t too serious.

The 49ers coach said earlier in August that he wasn’t concerned with McCaffrey’s injury, and holding him out seems like a precaution with the regular season still a few weeks away.

As far as contracts go, McCaffrey signed a two-year, $38 million extension in 2024, which puts him at $19 million a year as he enters the final season of the deal.

At the start of August, Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson became the highest-paid at the position with a three-year, $66.75 million deal, which comes at just north of an average of $22 million per season.

Days later, Detroit Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs inked a three-year, $67.5 million extension, putting him at $22.5 million per year, which makes him the top-paid RB.

Still, Shanahan made it clear that there is no hold in by Christian McCaffrey, although things should get some clarity before the Week 1 showdown against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia.