San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke for slightly over 30 minutes at the NFL owners meeting.

During his availability, he gave an interesting answer on the running back position. He mentioned how he didn’t want the 49ers to let Jordan Mason go, but had to.

Part of why they had to and were able to trade him is because of Isaac Guerendo. Shanahan spoke highly of the 2024 rookie running back, where he inadvertently set large expectations for him going into 2025.

“Isaac’s a big play guy who can run hard,” said Shanahan. “I was impressed as a rookie just how tough he competed, how hard he ran. He ran harder as the year went, which is a very good sign for guys because if you run less hard as the year goes you’re probably not going to be running it much in the future. I was impressed with the mentality he had. He’s gonna find a way to take care of his body so he can stay healthy and get through an NFL season, but I think the future is bright for him and should continue going in the right direction.”

Guerendo received a heap of praise from Shanahan. Usually, when Shanahan gives lengthy praise, it means he is expecting big things out of that player.

It only gets emphasized after the 49ers traded Mason to the Vikings. Guerendo will be the No. 2 running back to back up Christian McCaffrey.

The responsibility and expectations loom large for him because McCaffrey can easily go down to injury again. He will be one of the massive variables for the 49ers in 2025.

Even if he is healthy, the 49ers might finally rotate McCaffrey a little more to preserve him. So, Guerendo will need to be ready and get his body right to stay fit.

Mason was ready for it when the 49ers needed it, and they rewarded him by trading him. I get it was the value and all, but they knew what they had in Mason.

They have an idea of what they have with Guerendo, and it’s on him to make that idea a reality in 2025.