Instead of McCaffrey making life miserable for opposing defenses, it was Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley. Instead of being the key that unlocked the 49ers’ offense under Kyle Shanahan, McCaffrey introduced the fan base and media to the term “bilateral Achilles tendinitis.”

There is some uncertainty surrounding the San Francisco 49ers with Deebo Samuel no longer on the team, Brock Purdy's contract making headlines and George Kittle skipping the start of the voluntary offseason workout program, but they received some welcome news Tuesday.

Christian McCaffrey starts the offseason with “zero restrictions” following an injury-filled 2024 season for the San Francisco 49ers that limited him to just four games. McCaffrey missed the first eight games of the season with Achilles tendinitis and then went down with a right knee injury that sidelined him for the final five games.