Christian McCaffrey didn't delve into the specifics of the contract situation between the San Francisco 49ers and veteran tackle Trent Williams, but the star running back made one thing clear: Williams makes his job a whole lot easier.
McCaffrey is coming off one of his best NFL seasons, leading the league with 1,459 rushing yards while amassing 2,023 scrimmage yards and 21 total touchdowns. These accomplishments might not have been possible without Williams' exceptional blocking.
Regarding the contract situation, McCaffrey stated, "I stay out of everything, really, just kind of stay in my lane, focus on me, and doing whatever I can to get back. But obviously, no one's a bigger fan of Trent than me."
Williams is the 49ers' best offensive lineman by a significant margin and remains one of the best in football at 36 years old. According to Pro Football Focus, he didn't allow a sack last season and has only given up two over the past three seasons. Williams has earned a run-blocking grade of over 90.0 from the analytics site in each of the past four seasons.
Williams did not report to training camp, seeking more financial security on his existing deal. The 49ers will need to rework it quickly if they hope to get the 11-time Pro Bowler back at practice.
McCaffrey recently received his own contract extension. He was already the NFL's highest-paid running back and remains so. The running back was asked how important it was to get that squared away before the start of training camp.
"Really important," McCaffrey responded. "I think anytime you can get that done before camp, it's great. But that's the business side of things. It's the bittersweet part of this league. And so for me, just taking it one day at a time, making sure that you continue to train, continue to put your body in the best shape possible so that when all that stuff is out of the way, you can hit the ground running."
Regarding his status as the top-paid running back in the NFL, McCaffrey, who has criticized the underpayment of the position, said, "It means a lot. It definitely means a lot. I think the running back position has obviously been talked about a lot in the last few years about kind of guys being unfairly paid. And just to continue to up the number, I think, is important. It's a huge honor."