We’ll have further updates when San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan speaks later this afternoon, but the fear is Christian McCaffrey’s season is over after a PCL injury.

Can the 49ers get out of Christian McCaffrey’s contract any time soon?

McCaffrey’s season comes to an abrupt end after two significant injuries. It doesn’t get any better financially. This was the first year of a two-year contract extension McCaffrey signed in June. McCaffrey will make $15.7 million in cash next season, up from the 12.5 million he was owed on his previous deal.

According to Over the Cap, 2025 is the final year where McCaffrey has any guaranteed money remaining on his contract. It’s a deal that doesn’t void until 2028 when McCaffrey turns 32. The 49ers were wise to add ghost years and spread out his $22.8 million signing bonus over the next five years for cap reasons.

But this isn’t a situation where they can get out of McCaffrey’s contract after this year. Even after a post-June 1 release, the Niners would eat more than $13.5 million in dead money in 2025. It’s around even in 2026 before the team would come out ahead by about $17 million in 2027.

Will Christian McCaffrey ever play another full season?

McCaffrey earned his extension this past summer after putting up video game numbers in 2023. But the 49ers got an entire season out of a player who hadn’t managed a full season since 2019. The odds of McCaffrey replicating his 2023 health status were slim. Unfortunately, San Francisco did not reap the rewards right away.

Full recovery from a PCL injury could take anywhere as long as six months to up to a full year, depending on the severity. The 49ers didn’t have much of a choice but to shut McCaffrey down. Hopefully, after surgery and rehab, he will come back healthy in 2025.

Expecting McCaffrey to play another full season—he turns 29 in June—feels like wishful thinking. When McCaffrey is active, he’s the workhorse. When you are the workhorse, especially coming off multiple injuries, the probability of re-aggravating those goes up.

There isn’t a way to protect McCaffrey other than limiting his touches. As we saw against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, McCaffrey is far too effective only to give him the ball ten times. So, it puts Kyle Shanahan in a predicament. And since there’s a substantial financial commitment, there’s even more reason to feature McCaffrey.

Should the 49ers use an early draft pick on a running back?

Jordan Mason is a restricted free agent after this season. If you are a team needing a running back, the 25-year-old Mason proved to be the kind of reliable runner worthy of starting in this league.

Last year, a second-round tender would have cost just under $5 million. Would the 49ers be willing to pay Mason that for a season? Unlikely. The Right of first refusal tender was just under $3 million, which is more feasibile, but also opens the floodgates for other teams. It would be surprising if another team didn’t sign Mason if he’s tendered for less than a second round.

How the team feels about Isaac Guerendo will determine how high of a draft pick they use on a running back — something that’s generally more of a “when,” not “if” question under Shanahan. Guerendo has flashes, but can he be counted on the same way Mason could if McCaffrey misses time?

If the third or fourth round rolls around and Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson is still on the board, the 49ers will have lucked into the best running back in the draft for my money.