Christian McCaffrey
Teams
Carolina Panthers (2017-2022)
San Francisco 49ers (2022-present)
Playoffs
Appearances - 3 (2017,2022,2023)
Conf Champ Games - 2 (2022,2023)
Super Bowls - 1 (2023)
Championships - 0
Awards and Honors
All-Pro First Team - 2 (2019,2023)
All-Pro Second Team - 1 (2018)
Pro Bowl - 3 (2019,2022,2023)
Offensive Player of the Year - 1 (2023)
All-time Ranks
Yards per Rush - #18
Rushing Yards per Game - #52
Total Touchdowns - #69
Rushing Touchdowns - #76
Yards per Touch - #87
Rushing Yards - #90
League Leads
Rushing Yards (#1-2023, #3-2019, #6-2018, #8-2022)
Rushing Touchdowns (#3-2019, #4-2023)
Yards per Rush (#2-2023, #9-2018, #10-2019)
Rushing Yards per Game (#2-2023, #4-2019)
Receptions (#2-2019, #8-2018)
Total Touchdowns (#1-2019,2023, #4-2022, #9-2018)
Scrimmage Yards (#1-2019,2023, #3-2018,2022)
As a sophomore at Stanford, Christian McCaffrey rushed for 2019 yards, and had another 645 through the air, and came in #2 in voting for the Heisman Trophy behind Derrick Henry. He had another 1603 rushing yards as a junior, then left school early to enter the 2017 NFL Draft, where he was selected 8th overall by the Carolina Panthers.
As a rookie, he rushed for 435 yards, and added another 651 on receptions, which gave him over 1000 scrimmage yards in his rookie season. The Panthers made the playoffs that season, and McCaffrey had 117 scrimmage yards in their Wild Card loss.
He started to show signs of greatness in his second season. He rushed for 1098 yards, and had 867 yards receiving, setting a record along of way of 107 receptions, the most ever by a running back in a season. His totals for rushing yards and scrimmage yards were both #3 in the league for the season.
He got even better in 2019. He had 1387 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, and also had 1005 receiving yards, making him the third player ever to reach 1000 yards in each category in the same season, joining Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk. His 2392 scrimmage yards led the league, and is still the 3rd-highest total in history, behind only Chris Johnson and Marshall Faulk. He also led the league with 19 total touchdowns, cementing him as a superstar in his third season.
The 2020 season was a huge letdown after such a huge season. He signed the largest contract ever for a running back before the season, but was limited to only 3 games by ankle and shoulder injuries. Injuries followed him into 2021, where he played only 7 games due to hamstring and ankle injuries.
He was finally fully healthy in 2022, and was playing well early on for Carolina when he was traded away after 6 games to the San Francisco 49ers for 4 draft picks. He went on to finish the season with 1139 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground, and 1880 total scrimmage yards, all without missing a game, which was amazing after missing 22 games over the previous 2 seasons.
In 2023, he finally established himself as the best running back in the league. He led the league with 1459 rushing yards, scoring 14 touchdowns on the ground, and led the league in scrimmage yards for the second time, reaching 2023, the second time he had surpassed 2000 yards. He also led the league with 21 total touchdowns and had a career high of 5.4 yards per carry on the season, all of which led to his winning the Offensive Player of the Year award.
McCaffrey was great in the playoffs as well. He had 128 yards and 2 touchdowns in their first playoff game, and scored the winning touchdown, then had 132 yards and 2 touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game, leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl. He had 80 yards rushing and 80 receiving in the Super Bowl, becoming the first player ever to surpass 75 in each in the Super Bowl, but the 49ers fell 25-22 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
McCaffrey is young, only turning 28 years old last month, and he is currently the best running back in the NFL. If he is able to remain healthy, as he has done the past 2 years, there is no reason to believe that he won't be one of the 10 greatest of all time by the end of his career. In each of his last 4 healthy seasons, he has finished in the top 3 in scrimmage yards, and he is #18 on the all-time list in yards per carry, and though he may have a lot of time left, he's already proven himself to be one of the greatest of all time.
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