{"id":5834,"date":"2026-07-30T11:37:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T11:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5834"},"modified":"2026-07-30T11:37:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T11:37:38","slug":"49ers-mccaffrey-not-naive-as-he-celebrates-life-as-30-year-old-running-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5834","title":{"rendered":"49ers’ McCaffrey not naive as he celebrates life as 30-year-old running back"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SANTA CLARA \u2014 Roger Craig played until he was 33, eight years after he became the NFL\u2019s first player to produce 1,000 yards both as a rusher and receiver. That 1985 milestone eventually led to his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction next weekend.<\/p>\n

Read more Philp: California\u2019s data center hysteria is more hype than facts<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cTo rush for 1,000 yards and catch for 1,000 yards in that era is different from now,\u201d Christian McCaffrey said Wednesday at 49ers training camp. \u201cI have the utmost respect for him. \u2026 I\u2019m so happy he got a gold jacket because he absolutely deserves it.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCaffrey was 24 when he matched the 1,000\/1,000 feat in 2019 with Carolina, and he nearly repeated the double-double last season with the 49ers (1,202 rushing yards, 924 receiving).<\/p>\n

On June 7, McCaffrey turned 30, which may be a red flag to some but not to the former Stanford star.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t make a big deal out of the whole age thing. It does nothing for me,\u201d McCaffrey said.<\/p>\n

And yet, he\u2019s studied those who\u2019ve played \u201creally well\u201d later in their careers. His father, Ed, played until he was 35, having been a reserve receiver on the 49ers\u2019 1994 Super Bowl team before the next nine seasons with the Denver Broncos.<\/p>\n

En route to becoming the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, Christian McCaffrey started every game last season, and after an NFL-high 413 touches, he didn\u2019t stop working. A 30th birthday was calling, after all.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not nothing. That\u2019s why I approach it differently than I did seven years ago,\u201d McCaffrey added. \u201cI\u2019m not na\u00efve enough to think you can just keep doing the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

This offseason, he changed things up and began training with Ido Portal. \u201cHe\u2019s a brilliant mind when it comes to movement, the body and the mind,\u201d McCaffrey said.<\/p>\n

Read more Friedman: The quick-fix fantasies of the world\u2019s strongmen<\/a><\/p>\n

In McCaffrey\u2019s mind, he didn\u2019t train to get better at one specific thing, such as explosiveness that may have waned last year. \u201cYou\u2019re training a whole system. Everything matters \u2014 \u00a0speed, strength, mobility, quick twitch,\u201d McCaffrey said. \u201cThere\u2019s a way to build a base and try to peak. It\u2019s never linear. You\u2019re training a system, not just one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 49ers have relied on one running back, McCaffrey, so much since he arrived in a 2022 midseason trade. This year might be different, judging from third-round pick Kaelon Black\u2019s burst and maturity early in camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a pro. He came in and you can tell he\u2019s mature, knows how to work and learn,\u201d McCaffrey said. \u201cHe\u2019s made of the right stuff so he complements our room and team really well. He\u2019s awesome. Explosive. Sees the hole really well. Has the right mentality. He\u2019s stacked, man.\u201d<\/p>\n

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And he\u2019s the frontrunner to back up McCaffrey. Jordan James is sidelined with a broken rib from Monday\u2019s practice, and Isaac Guerendo is out perhaps through the preseason because of a pectoral tear in the spring.<\/p>\n

Black spent four years at James Madison and the last two at Indiana, winning a national championship on his way out. On Oct. 27, Black will turn 25, in Week 6 of his rookie season.<\/p>\n

McCaffrey entered the NFL after three years at Stanford, at age 21.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you look at him in his rookie year and me in my rookie year, they look very different in age,\u201d McCaffrey said.<\/p>\n

But who dares look at age, right?<\/p>\n

\u201cI just keep focus on getting better. That\u2019s all I\u2019ve ever done and all I\u2019ll ever do,\u201d McCaffrey added. \u201cI feel so fortunate to play this game. I want to play as long as I can. I have no intention of slowing down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nor do his teammates see a deceleration.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s Christian McCaffrey. He looks great,\u201d right tackle Colton McKivitz said.<\/p>\n

Read more Horoscopes July 30, 2026: Terry Crews, your generosity is a wonderful trait<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christian McCaffrey, 30, altered his offseason training and has ‘no intention of slowing down’ as 49ers’ workhorse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n49ers’ McCaffrey not naive as he celebrates life as 30-year-old running back - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5834\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"49ers’ McCaffrey not naive as he celebrates life as 30-year-old running back - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Christian McCaffrey, 30, altered his offseason training and has 'no intention of slowing down' as 49ers' workhorse.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5834\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-30T11:37:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5834#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5834\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"49ers’ McCaffrey not naive as he celebrates life as 30-year-old running back\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-30T11:37:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5834\"},\"wordCount\":669,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5834#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/442466579a56d0c0ae1e0e44bc417a48-scaled.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5834#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5834\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5834\",\"name\":\"49ers’ McCaffrey not naive as he celebrates life as 30-year-old running back - 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