2023 might be even better.
"Isn't he special? Goodness gracious, he is fantastic," teammate George Kittle said Friday on KNBR. "Huge fan of him."
The tight end knows that McCaffrey changes how an opposing defense game plans against the 49ers. He's not just a threat out of the backfield. His gaudy statistics from last season show that McCaffrey can do it all.
And now, the running back has an even better understanding of head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense. It almost seems unfair.
"When you have a running back—you know what, I don't even want to do him the disservice," Kittle said. "He's more than a running back. He really is. He is a skill position [player]. ... He is not just a running back because, yes, can he take 30 carries in the backfield? For sure. And he's going to have a great game. But you can line up in the slot, and you can do all the routes. All of it. Like, whether it's me, [WR] Deebo [Samuel], or [WR Brandon] Aiyuk, Christian does those routes too. And it's just absolutely fantastic when you have a running back that can do that.
"And then you can just [say], 'Hey, we're in 11-personnel, four wide receivers, one tight end, and ... oh, wow, Deebo is at running back and Christian's in the slot.' Wait, what do you do defensively versus this? Are you just going to leave a linebacker on Christian? What's your check that you're going to make?"
Shanahan was already considered a brilliant play-designer and play-caller. Now, he has another one of the most dynamic playmakers in the NFL at his disposal.
"It's just really fun because Kyle can be super creative with our offensive plays, and having too many mouths to feed is a great problem," Kittle continued. "It really is. It might be hard to have five 1,000-yard receivers, but hey, if we're winning games and our best players are touching the ball, making plays, that's all that really matters."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Kittle below.
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
Christian McCaffrey returns to 49ers practice, says time away was part of the plan
Christian McCaffrey was back on the practice field Sunday, and the San Francisco 49ers running back made it clear there was never much reason for concern about his recent absence, which the team described as "tightness." McCaffrey had been held out of practice for the past... -
Colton McKivitz praises George Kittle, highlights Kaelon Black's impact on 49ers run game
San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Colton McKivitz was glad to see a couple of familiar faces back on the practice field Sunday. Christian McCaffrey returned to practice after a planned absence, while tight end George Kittle continued his impressive recovery from the Achilles... -
49ers' Christian McCaffrey makes massive jump in NFL Top 100 Players of 2026 ranking
A fifth San Francisco 49ers player has earned a spot on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026 list. Four-time Pro Bowl and five-time All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey came in at No. 6, climbing a massive 67 spots from his No. 73 ranking in 2025. No. 6 on the NFL Top 100... -
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey returns to practice
Christian McCaffrey is back on the practice field. The San Francisco 49ers running back returned to practice Sunday after missing time with what the team has described as tightness. Matt Barrows of The Athletic was the first to report Sunday morning that McCaffrey is back at...