Christian McCaffrey

At 27 years old, Christian McCaffrey has this physical status:

Christian Jackson McCaffrey (born June 7, 1996) is an American football running back and return specialist for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. (NFL).

He played college football at Stanford University and was drafted by the Panthers with the eighth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

McCaffrey, the AP College Football Player of the Year and the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore in 2015.

With 3,864, he set the NCAA record for most all-purpose yards in a season.

McCaffrey holds the franchise record for the most receptions by any player in a single season.

(107)

Early life

Christian Jackson McCaffrey was born in Castle Rock, Colorado, on June 7, 1996, the uncle of former Stanford and NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey and former Stanford soccer star Lisa McCaffrey. He attended Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado for his freshman year and later Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, for the remainder of his high school experience. He played wide receiver, cornerback, and punter. He set several Colorado high school records, including career total touchdowns (141), career all purpose yards (8,845), career touchdown receptions (47), and single-season all-purpose yards (3,032). In both 2012 and 2013, he was the Gatorade Football Player of the Year for Colorado. He also played basketball.

McCaffrey was also a top sprinter on the track & field team. He came in second in the 100-meter dash at the Mountain Vista Boulder Invitational in a season-best time of 10.75 seconds as a sophomore. He came in fifth in the 100-meter dash (10.89s) and ninth in the 200-meter dash (22.17s) at the CHSAA State Meet as a junior in 2013.

He was chosen as a 2014 United States Army All-American, and he was one of the best one hundred football players in his national high school class. He was ranked as the third best all-purpose back in his class and the 77th best player overall by Rivals.com. He committed to Stanford University to play college football.

Personal life

Ed McCaffrey's father, McCaffrey, played college football and in the NFL, mostly for the Denver Broncos from 1991 to 2003. Lisa Sime, his mother, played soccer at Stanford University. Max's older brother played football at Duke University and then on multiple NFL teams as a wide receiver. Dylan, Dylan's younger brother, is a quarterback at Northern Colorado. Luke, his younger brother, is a wide receiver at Rice University. Billy McCaffrey, his uncle, played basketball at Duke and Vanderbilt University. Dave Sime, an Olympic track star, is his maternal grandfather. McCaffrey, Jay Ajayi, Todd Gurley, and DeAndre Hopkins appeared on a commercial for the NFL in 2018.

McCaffrey has been involved with Miss Universe 2012 and fashion influencer Olivia Culpo since 2019.

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College career

In 2014, McCaffrey appeared in all 13 games as a true freshman for the Cardinals. Remound Wright, Barry J. Sanders, and Kelsey Young shared the backfield. He had a 52-yard receiving touchdown against UC Davis in his collegiate debut. With two total touchdowns and 300 rushing yards on 17 attempts, he finished the year with 300 rushing yards on 43 plays and 251 receiving yards on 17 attempts.

McCaffrey had a good sophomore season in 2015. With 3,864, he tied for three-purpose yards, surpassing Barry Sanders' NCAA record of 3,250 all-purpose yards. Barry J. Sanders' uncle, as it happened, was one of McCaffrey's teammates that year. McCaffrey finished second in the country with 2,019 passing yards, making him the first Stanford player to rush for 2,000 in a season. During the season, he also set several other Stanford records, including rushing yards in a single game (243) and all-purpose yards in a game (461).

McCaffrey was the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year, Pac-12 Player of the Year, and winner of the Paul Hornung Award. In the 2015 Heisman Trophy voting, he came in second place to Derrick Henry of Alabama.

With 461 total yards against USC, he set a school record for all purpose yards in a single game.

McCaffrey was the first player to rush for over 100 yards (172) and have over 100 yards receiving (109), against Iowa in a Rose Bowl contest. He set a new Rose Bowl record of 368 all-purpose yards, smashing Jared Abbrederis of Wisconsin's previous record of 368 yards, setting a new record set in 2012.

McCaffrey led the nation in all purpose yards through the 2016 regular season (211.6 yards per game). He led the Pac-12 in rushing yards (1,603) and was ranked fourth in the nation in rushing yards per game (145.7). McCaffrey, who was hospitalized after the Cardinal's 42–16 loss to Washington State on October 8, stayed out for the team's 17–10 victory in the 2016 version of the Notre Dame-Stanford rivalry, which took place the following week. With 284 passing yards against California, McCaffrey set a Stanford single-game rushing record. McCaffrey was selected to the 2016 All-Pac-12 first team and was named CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year. He decided to draft the 2017 NFL Draft after the season.

McCaffrey declared on December 19, McCaffrey said he would not participate in the team's Sun Bowl game against North Carolina, opting to watch the NFL Draft instead. His decision was met with mixed reactions; supporters agreed it was a smart decision, while those opposed to the change were dismissive and potentially damaging to college football if more players follow suit. "Calling Christian McCaffrey for missing an exhibition game in order to prepare for his future is the height of just not getting it," radio host Mike Greenberg said.

Professional career

McCaffrey was invited to the NFL Combine as one of the top running back prospects on the draft and completed all of the mandatory combine drills as well as participating in positional drills. He attended Stanford's Pro Day but was dissatisfied with his combined numbers and only conducted positional drills for the NFL scouts and representatives. The bulk of NFL experts and analysts expected McCaffrey to be a first-round pick. Sports Illustrated, the fourth best running back by Pro Football Focus, ranked third best running back in the draft, and ESPN named him second best in the second best by NFLDraftScout.com and ESPN.

With their eighth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers selected McCaffrey in the first round. He was the second running back selected after being rated fourth overall pick Leonard Fournette.

The Carolina Panthers announced McCaffrey on May 4, 2017 that he had a four-year, $17.2 million contract with a signing bonus of $10.7 million.

In a 23-3 victory, McCaffrey made his NFL debut against the San Francisco 49ers in the Panthers' season-opener, throwing 47 passing yards, 38 receiving yards, and a lost fumble. He had nine receptions for 101 yards against the New Orleans Saints in Week 3. McCaffrey scored his first career touchdown on a six-yard shovel pass from quarterback Cam Newton in Week 5 against the Detroit Lions. On a four-yard rush against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9, he scored his first career rushing touchdown on a four-yard rush. McCaffrey scored twice, one running and one receiving, and the team won by 50 yards on Monday Night Football. McCaffrey finished his season with 73 catches and five touchdowns in Week 15, beating the Green Bay Packers, his first rookie running back in football history with at least 70 receptions and five touchdowns before being joined by Alvin Kamara later this season. McCaffrey caught his catch total against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, beating Kelvin Benjamin's rookie record of 74. He had 435 passing yards, two rushing touchdowns, 80 receptions, 651 receiving yards, and five touchdowns in his rookie season. The Panthers were ranked #5 in the playoffs as the #5 seed. In the 31–26 loss to the New Orleans Saints, he had 16 passing yards, six receptions, 101 passing yards, and one touchdown.

McCaffrey had a career-high 14 receptions for 102 receiving yards against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2 of Week 2, and the 31-24 loss was decided by 37 rushing yards. In Week 3, the Cincinnati Bengals defeated him by 28 yards for a career-high 184 rushing yards. Despite being restricted in yardage for a significant portion of the season, McCaffrey tallied seven touchdowns in three games (joining DeAngelo Williams in 2008), as the only other Panther with this distinction), as well as all of Carolina's scores in a 52-21 loss to Pittsburgh. McCaffrey became the first Panther to have over 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game on November 25, 2018. In a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, he had 125 yards passing and 112 yards receiving. The 237 yards set a new Panthers franchise record for most yards from scrimmage in a game. He was the first player since Arian Foster in 2011 to have 100+ yards and a touchdown, as well as the first player to have 100+ receptions in such a game. McCaffrey threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Chris Manhertz on Monday Night Football showdown against the 11-2 Saints. He was the only one to do so with 50 rushing, 50 receiving, and 50 passing yards. McCaffrey set a record for most receptions by a running back in a single season during Week 16 against the Atlanta Falcons, finishing with 101 rushing yards and 77 receiving yards as the Panthers lost 10–24. With the Panthers out of the playoffs, he had a small role in the Week 17 victory over the New Orleans Saints by 40 total yards. He finished the 2018 season with 1,098 rushing yards, seven touchdowns, 107 passes, 867 receiving yards, and six receiving touchdowns. McCaffrey became the Panthers franchise record holder of all-purpose yards in a season with 1,965. He was ranked 42nd by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.

McCaffrey rushed 19 times for 228 yards and two touchdowns, along with ten passes for 81 yards as the Panthers lost 27-30 in Week 1. He was in every offensive snap and became the first player to reach 10 or more receptions and 120 or more rushing yards in two consecutive games. The Panthers beat the Arizona Cardinals 38-20 in Week 2, where McCaffrey rushed 24 times for 153 yards with a career long 76 yard touchdown and caught three passes for 35 yards after losing All-Pro quarterback Cam Newton in Week 2 for a career long 76 yards. McCaffrey rushed 27 times for 93 yards and one touchdown in Week 4 against the Houston Texans, and he had 10 passes for 86 yards. McCaffrey had 179 yards of offense in the game, but the remainder of his squad only had 118 yards of offense. McCaffrey set a new career long running touchdown record against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5 with an 84-yard touchdown pass. This was also a record for the longest touchdown run by the Panthers. The Panthers defeated 34-27, with 176 passing yards and two touchdowns, as well as 61 receiving yards and one touchdown. McCaffrey punched 22 times for 31 yards and one touchdown in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he caught four passes for 26 yards and one touchdown.

McCaffrey had 146 passing yards, 20 receiving yards, and three total touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans on Week 9. He held the league lead in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns over Minnesota's Dalvin Cook, who remained from Week 6 to the midpoint of the season (through eight games). McCaffrey continued his touchdown streak against the Green Bay Packers on the road in Week 10, throwing the ball 20 times for 108 yards and one point, and one touchdown, while hauling in six catches for 33 yards. For the first time this season, he fumbled, and he was stopped just short of the goal line in a humiliating comeback in the fourth quarter. McCaffrey had 121 receiving yards and 70 rushing yards during his Atlanta Falcons' loss on Week 11 29-3; his 191 yards from scrimmage was more than the majority of the team's total 156 yards. He made his 53rd appearance, beating LaDainian Tomlinson's record for the most catches by a running back in an NFL player's first three seasons. He had 133 scrimmage yards (64rushing, 69 receiving), a rushing touchdown, and a receiving touchdown in Week 12. McCaffrey rushed 19 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns in Week 15 against the Seattle Seahawks, with eight touchdowns and eight passes for 88 yards during the 30–24 loss. McCaffrey rushed 13 times for 54 yards and 15 passes for 119 yards in Week 16 against the Indianapolis Colts. McCaffrey punched for 26 yards and a touchdown in Week 17 against the New Orleans Saints, and he had seven passes for 72 yards. McCaffrey joined Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk as the only players to have 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season during the game.

McCaffrey ended the 2019 season with 1,387 passing yards and 15 touchdowns to go along with 116 receptions for 1,005 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. McCaffrey was selected for his first Pro Bowl pick after this showing, and he will play on January 26, 2020. He received First-team All-Pro recognition. In the Offensive Player of the Year poll, McCaffrey came in third. During the season, he accounted for 43% of his team's offensive yards, the highest percentage of any individual player in the NFL. He was ranked sixth by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.

McCaffrey made his first-paid running back in football history on April 16, 2020, making him the highest-paid running back in history.

McCaffrey carried the ball 23 times for 96 yards and two rushing touchdowns, as well as three of three targets for 38 yards in a 34-30 home loss to the Las Vegas Clippers in Week 1. In Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he scored 88 scrimmage yards and two rushing touchdowns. McCaffrey rushed for his second touchdown early in the fourth quarter but missed the remainder of the game. On September 23, he was put on injured reserve and was placed on the injured reserve. He was activated on November 7 days before Week 9's arrival. During Week 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs, McCaffrey passed for 69 yards, a rushing touchdown, and a touchdown field. McCaffaff suffered a shoulder injury during the game and was later suspended from the Panthers' following game and then the remainder of the season. He was ranked 44th among his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.

McCaffrey opened the 2021 season with 177 scrimmage yards against the New York Jets and 137 scrimmage yards against the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 on Week 1 against the New York Jets and 137 scrimmage yards. McCaffaff sustained a hamstring injury in Week 3 that kept him out of the next two games. Despite returning to practice before Week 6, he was put on injured reserve on October 16. He was activated on November 6 for Week 9. In the ensuing three games, he gained more than 100 scrimmage yards. McCaffrey will miss the remainder of the season due to an ankle injury he sustained during the Panthers' Week 12 loss to the Miami Dolphins on November 29, the Panthers announced on November 29. He had 442 passing yards, 343 receiving yards, and two total touchdowns in seven games during the 2021 season.

McCaffrey had 393 rushing yards, 277 receiving yards, and three total touchdowns in his first six games with the Panthers. He had at least 100 scrimmage yards in all six games.

McCaffrey was traded to the San Francisco 49ers on October 20, 2022, in exchange for a second, third, and fourth round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and a fifth round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

In Week 7, McCaffery made his 49ers debut against the Kansas City Chiefs, where he had 38 passing yards and 24 receiving yards.

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