Christian McCaffrey injury update: Kyle Shanahan reveals potentially season-ending diagnosis for 49ers RB

Christian McCaffrey might be out for the rest of the 2024 season due to an injury he suffered on Sunday night. San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said the star running back suffered a potentially season-ending PCL injury in the game against the Buffalo Bills.

McCaffrey injured his knee early in the second quarter on a non-contact play. The former Stanford Cardinal star took a pitch to the right and went down after attempting to plant his feet and turn upfield. McCaffrey limped to the blue injury tent before heading to the locker room for further examination. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, McCaffrey will undergo an MRI on his knee Monday.

The 2024 season has been frustrating for McCaffrey who signed a contract extension with the 49ers in June. If he did suffer a season-ending injury, McCaffrey would finish the year with 348 yards from scrimmage and zero touchdowns in four games. He missed the first half of the season due to injuries to his Achilles and calf and made his 2024 debut last month against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

More on Christian McCaffrey’s 2024 season

Last week, McCaffrey spoke to reporters about slowly getting back into form. “I feel like I’m getting a lot better,” he said, per ESPN. “You have to manage your expectations a lot of times, but for me, it’s not about anything statistically right now. It’s not about any of that stuff. It’s just about getting better every single day, and I know I’m doing that, which I’m excited about.”

McCaffrey was coming off of arguably the best season of his career. In 2023, the 28-year-old was named Offensive Player of the Year after tallying 2,023 yards from scrimmage and 21 total touchdowns. McCaffrey was a big reason the 49ers reached the Super Bowl for the second time in five seasons.

After signing the contract extension, McCaffrey is now under contract through the 2027 season. He’s due $16.2 million in 2025.