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New York Times
6 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Christian McCaffrey looks like his 2023 self as re-energized 49ers begin OTAs
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — You have to keep in mind it was merely the second OTA practice of the spring season. And there was no tackling or hitting. And the players on the field at the time weren't even wearing helmets. But – whew! – Christian McCaffrey looked electric on one of his runs Thursday, one where he hopped through the line of scrimmage before accelerating past the linebackers and bursting up the middle of the field. The run was evidence that McCaffrey, who missed the bulk of the 2024 season with Achilles and knee injuries, is back at full strength and looking more like his 2023 self. And it seemed symbolic of the extra pep the San Francisco 49ers seem to have this spring. Advertisement A year ago at this time, McCaffrey and several high-profile teammates either weren't practicing or weren't present. McCaffrey, then the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, was in the midst of contract talks that resulted in a two-year extension. The entire team, meanwhile, was coming off a season that lasted into mid-February. No one was exactly eager to hop back into the weight room, meeting room and practice field when the offseason program began that April. 'I felt guys weren't ready to come back,' Kyle Shanahan said. 'And I understood that.' This year has been different. Shanahan told the players in their final team meeting in January that, with an extra five weeks of rest this year, he expected full attendance when the team reassembled April 22. 'And I thought the coolest thing was everyone being there on the first day,' Shanahan said. 'We had every guy show up and I didn't have to call anyone and beg them, which said a lot.' Defensive end Nick Bosa, who usually trains with his brother in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was on the field for Thursday's OTA practice. And while he was absent Thursday, the 49ers' elder statesman on offense, tackle Trent Williams, had been present until recently. 'Ninety-nine percent of us are here,' George Kittle said. 'So when all your best players are here, kind of setting the tone, setting examples … the vibes are high. I'd say they're immaculate.' Sights and sounds, including a look at Bosa and Williams #49ers — Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) May 29, 2025 Some observations from the first open OTA of the season: • While the majority of the players are in the building, not everyone was on the field. Some, like Brandon Aiyuk (ACL), Malik Mustapha (ACL), rookie defensive tackle Alfred Collins (calf, week to week), rookie quarterback Kurtis Rourke (ACL) and rookie safety Marques Sigle (sports hernia), are recovering from injuries. Advertisement Shanahan also said safety Ji'Ayir Brown had ankle surgery this offseason and wouldn't be ready until training camp. Receiver Ricky Pearsall, meanwhile, 'tweaked a hamstring,' Shanahan said, and will miss a couple of weeks. Pearsall, who changed his number from 14 to 1, also missed a portion of last year's training camp with a hamstring issue. Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos is away for the birth of his child. • A receiver who's already at full speed: Jauan Jennings. As was the case in 2024, he was Brock Purdy's favorite wide receiver target Thursday, connecting on all but two passes that went in his direction. The best completion of the day was a deep ball down the left sideline over cornerback Renardo Green during seven-on-seven drills (no linemen). 'Jauan's still on fire, which is really fun to see,' Kittle said. Kittle noted that Purdy, who recently signed a five-year, $265 million contract extension, has been more vocal this offseason. Asked to give an example, Kittle cited a rare miss to Jennings on Thursday, a crossing-pattern attempt on which Jennings appeared to slow down before the ball arrived. 'JJ, keep running!' Purdy yelled, per Kittle. The top three receivers Thursday were Jennings, Demarcus Robinson and Jacob Cowing, who trained with Purdy in the offseason. • Asked if any young players have stood out to him, Fred Warner cited first-round draft pick Mykel Williams and third-rounder Nick Martin. He said Martin, a fellow linebacker, hasn't been shy about asking him questions. 'And I've seen the athleticism flash already on the field in the way that he closes,' Warner said. 'He closes space really quickly and he already has the great mindset of wanting to learn.' Williams' effort has also stood out. 'He said, 'Man, I just want to run to the ball,'' Warner said. 'As a young player who's seen a lot of success at an SEC school like Georgia, and he's coming onto the team as a first-round draft pick, 11th overall, and he's talking about running to the football? You don't hear that very often. That just shows me we've got the right kind of guys.' The 49ers' DEs run the hoop drill. Rookie Mykel Williams is the third guy in … [image or embed] — Matt Barrows (@ May 29, 2025 at 4:37 PM • The rookies are very much in learning mode at this stage and didn't have many prominent roles in Thursday's practice. The exception was fourth-round receiver Jordan Watkins, who caught three passes — two from Purdy — in the practice. Watkins looked as fast and fluid as advertised, with his first catch from Purdy resulting in a big gain down the middle of the field. Advertisement • The team was light on tight ends. Kittle only got on the field occasionally, while Ross Dwelley and Jake Tonges worked out on a side field. That left newcomer Luke Farrell, Brayden Willis and Mason Pline as the main players at the position. Both Farrell, who is wearing No. 89, and Pline stand out for their size. • With Brown, Mustapha, Sigle and George Odom (unknown) sitting out, the 49ers also were low on safeties. Newcomers Jason Pinnock and Richie Grant served as the first-string safeties. Mustapha watched the practice next to general manager John Lynch, who always positions himself in the middle of the field, well behind the defense. • With Trent Williams absent, Spencer Burford lined up at left tackle. Ben Bartch was the first man up at left guard, although Nick Zakelj also took a few reps there with the first-team offensive line. Recently signed tackle Andre Dillard did not take part in the practice. • The linebacker group looks a lot different than it has in recent years when Dre Grenlaw and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles were on the roster. Warner was on hand for the practice but didn't take part. That left Tatum Bethune at middle linebacker, Dee Winters at weakside linebacker and newcomer Luke Gifford at strongside linebacker. • As it stands now, Tre Brown is operating as the No. 3 cornerback behind Green and Deommodore Lenoir. Brown came down with the only interception of the practice. Draft pick Upton Stout, who worked as the nickel back with the second-team defense, will try to wrestle away the No. 3 role from Brown in training camp. • There's more competition on special teams than there's been in years. Not only is veteran Greg Joseph on hand to push Jake Moody at kicker, but new coordinator Brant Boyer has brought in a slew of coverage specialists to compete for spots. The team added veterans like Gifford and Siran Neal in March and on Wednesday signed one of Boyer's former New York Jets players, linebacker Chazz Surratt, who led the Jets last season with 10 special teams tackles. Advertisement The 49ers also have a new long snapper, Jon Weeks, and punter, Thomas Morstead, after longtime punter Mitch Wishnowsky was cut on Wednesday. Wishnowsky, who missed half of the 2024 season with a back injury, is healthy now, Shanahan said. 'He's going to go to a team and help a team out a lot,' Shanahan said. 'But those are things you've always got to predict. You don't know how those things go and you've got to take the risk-reward and something that to me wasn't a big risk or worth the risk until someone like Morstead became available.' (Top photo of Christian McCaffrey: Chris Unger / Getty Images)
Forbes
28-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Saquon Barkley Talks C4 Partnership, His Future, And Caleb Williams
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 09: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates with ... More the Vince Lombardi Trophy after beating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 to win Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome on February 09, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by) Being a Super Bowl champion and the Offensive Player of the Year is the top of the mountain for any NFL running back, but Saquon Barkley isn't sitting around enjoying the view. The 28-year-old Philadelphia Eagle is focusing on next season and beyond. 'I think you have to adapt, right? You always have to adapt. You always have to try to find new ways to improve your game no matter how successful the year was or if it didn't live up to the expectation that you set for yourself," the three-time Pro Bowler said over Zoom. "So I've been attacking this offseason with the same mindset that I had last offseason. You can't try to create a whole new invention, but you got to go back and watch and see the things that you did successfully, see the things that you could work on and always, be your biggest critic, always look upon yourself. 'Not like I got it all figured out. What else can I do to keep going? And that's the nature of the business. That's the business that we're part of. It's what have you done for me lately? So, Offensive Player of the Year, Super Bowl champs, but that's in the past. That was last year. "When I'm done, when I'm in my forties and I'm bragging to my son and his friends saying that I actually was a good football player one time, that's when you bring it up. But right now, you just focus on the future and you use all the different techniques and tools you can use to get better." Saquon Barkley courtesy of C4 One of the tools Barkley is using to level up is the pre-workout powder C4 Sport. Saquon was such a big fan of C4, part of the sports nutrition brand Nutrabolt, that he partnered with C4 ahead of the 2025 NFL season. 'I'm excited about the partnership with C4. For me, I've been using C4 for a very long time. So it's kind of cool anytime you get to align with a brand that you actually use and it's authentic to yourself,' the 2024 league-leading rusher said. "But especially with the NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) certified C4 Sport, it makes so much sense for me because as an athlete, or athletes in general, you always have to worry about what you put in your body. You always have to worry about the ingredients you're putting in your body because our bodies are everything. 'So we got to make sure that it's safe and being NSF certified shows how safe it is. The ingredients are not only safe, but they help you perform at a higher level. And, I think it's pretty cool to see now being a part of the brand, throughout my career, seeing how many athletes and how many guys in the NFL and the locker room actually use the product.' Beyond racking up more on-field accolades, being a good teammate and a good pro seem to be more vital to the legacy Barkley is carving out for himself. This was apparent when the former New York Giant had an opportunity to break his single-game rushing record of 189 yards this past October. Sitting 13 yards away late in his first game back at Met Life Stadium since departing from the Giants organization, the dynamic back instead chose to give some reps to other teammates. "I'd rather see the young boys eat," Barkley told Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni on the sideline. 'Super important, super important for me. I think it's everything,' Saquon said of being a good teammate. "You want to leave a legacy and you want to be a Hall of Famer and you want to be talked about as one of the greats. "But, one of my favorite things about Barry Sanders who's one of my favorite players, there's a clip that I saw when I was a little kid in NFL Films … there's a clip of him on the sideline and this is Barry Sanders, the best running back to ever play in my opinion, Walter Payton's up there too, don't get me wrong, (Sanders is) on the sideline filling up Gatorade cups for his teammates. "And that was a moment when I was like, 'Oh, okay there's more to it than just being a successful football player.' My teammates, when it's all said and done, those are the people that really kind of carry out your legacy, your teammates, the fans, the people that interact with you. "So I want to be known as not just only a good football player, but a person that was able to help inspire other people, a person who always had his teammates' back. And not only did they know that I would go out there and work my tail off, but that they could count on me for anything and I would give them my all. "So it's super important. It's probably the most important thing outside of within your family. Being the best teammate you possibly can be is the thing that's going to matter more when, like again, I keep referring to when I'm in my 40s and 50s, we're not going to just talk about the highlight runs. "You want to talk about that time you had in the locker room, the laughs we had in the locker room, the talks we had in the locker room. I think those go a long way and are super important." Saquon Barkley courtesy of C4 Long before Barkley tried C4 products, he saw big gains as a young running back from an unconventional source, which still serves as his go-to snack. 'I'm really just a big fruit guy,' Saquon said. As a high school sophomore, Barkley played at around 5'5, 150 lbs. He returned to play his junior year around 5'9, 200 lbs. A friend on the team asked Saquon about the transformation, to which he replied, 'I just ate a lot of fruit.' Barkley doesn't have much time to unwind with TV shows or movies while snacking on fruit, but is a big MCU fan and is also eagerly awaiting season 2 of Hulu's post-apocalyptic political thriller Paradise. He's looking forward to Fantastic Four and had high praise for Deadpool and Wolverine. 'I loved it. I think it's a great movie. It's a really good plane movie to knock out if you've got a decent flight,' he said of the Marvel fan service juggernaut. Despite the former Penn State Nittany Lion ruling the league last season in Philadelphia's backfield and the Eagles dethroning the Kansas City Chiefs in dominating fashion in the Super Bowl, Saquon landing in Philly last year wasn't a sure thing. He almost called Chicago his new football home during the 2024 free agency period before signing with the Eagles. 'I think the thing that I loved about Chicago was the history of it and being a running back, Walter Payton being there and having conversations with Walter Payton's son (Jarrett, a sports anchor with WGN TV in Chicago). For me, it was just being able to stay close at home. Saquon Barkley courtesy of C4 "We have the luxury of on Mother's Day I can just drive down and spend Mother's Day with my mom and come back and spend Mother's Day with my family, Thanksgiving, all the holidays, and that offensive line. Philadelphia Eagles' offensive line is definitely enticing as a running back and I think it showed this (past) season." Although he wound up not sporting a Bears jersey, as the Windy City would have loved, Barkley does have thoughts on where the organization is headed after a tough but hopeful first season for Bears quarterback and 2024 No. 1 overall pick, Caleb Williams. 'They hired a great coach that can definitely help that franchise and that organization to take the next step. I know that they have it,' Saquon said of the Bears, who play the Eagles Nov. 28. "The quarterback, there's a lot of guys who get drafted really high and don't have the success early on. It's not by accident that these guys get drafted that high. It's not by accident that Caleb is the number one pick. "He's super talented and he has a lot of talent around him, and they did a really good job with addressing the offensive line (this offseason). So I have a really good feeling that they're going to be a really good team. They're in a tough division, clearly, so that always sucks. They've got to play us, too, so that sucks, too. 'Going more into the question of do I believe in Caleb? I don't think it's a question. He can make any throw. He's super athletic. Sometimes it just takes a little longer than people would like. And hopefully this is the year they turn it around, but they don't turn it around too good and they still give us the chance that we need to go out there and get another opportunity to win.'
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
49ers McCaffrey 'Storms Back' in Misleading Prediction
For as great as San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is, a glaring blemish on his reputation is continuing to show. He is only as great as his availability allows him to be. This unfortunate reality was a defining asterisk on McCaffrey's tenure with the Carolina Panthers. After two All-Pro selections in his first two NFL seasons, "CMC" was then sidelined with injury for practically two full years. Advertisement His first return to a full season of games? A Pro Bowl. However, he was shipped to San Francisco midway through the schedule. His first full year with the 49ers proved to be another healthy one in 2023. It turned out to be his best season yet with an Offensive Player of the Year award to show for it. But in 2024, it was once again a rarity to see McCaffrey at full strength - if we even saw that at all last season. Heading into 2025, CBS hasn't seemed to consider these trends and expects McCaffrey, at the age of 30, to "storm back from injury". We should tread carefully here because the explanation doesn't ooze much optimism. Advertisement "'CMC' was one of two things with the Carolina Panthers to open his career: All-Pro-caliber or injured," writes Cody Benjamin. "The trend finally returned in San Francisco in 2024, when the multipurpose star followed up an Offensive Player of the Year campaign by missing 13 games with Achilles tendinitis. "Approaching 30, he's hardly a safe bet to sustain a heavy workload, and his top backup, Jordan Mason, is no longer in town for relief. Still, the rest of the 49ers getting healthy should help ease him back into a starring role for Kyle Shanahan." If a "storm back" season means a less-heavy workload and easing back into stardom ... the standards have been set very low for this season. This isn't to say it's impossible, but there are simply too many concerning factors in play to expect a remarkable bounce-back year from McCaffrey. Advertisement On the bright side? CMC is attack this rehab head on and has confirmed his participation in offseason programs. "I'm feeling great," McCaffrey said last month. "It's been such a smooth process, a lot of hard work. As soon as that injury happened in Buffalo, I was kind of—this was my goal, to not miss a day of OTAs, be back, ready to go, with nothing hindering me, and that's where I'm at." Related: 49ers Winners of Brock Purdy Extension Related: Niners Face Ridiculously Easy Schedule in 2025
