We’ll get more updates when San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan speaks later this afternoon, but the fear is that Christian McCaffrey’s season is over following a PCL injury.

Can the 49ers get out of Christian McCaffrey’s contract soon?

McCaffrey’s season comes to an abrupt end after two serious injuries. Financially, things aren’t getting any better. This was the first year of a two-year contract extension McCaffrey signed in June. McCaffrey will earn $15.7 million in cash next season, up from the $12.5 million he was owed under his previous contract.

According to Over the Cap, 2025 is the last year McCaffrey will have any guaranteed money left on his contract. It’s a deal that doesn’t expire until 2028, when McCaffrey turns 32. The 49ers did well to add ghost years and spread his $22.8 million contract bonus over the next five years for cap purposes.

But this isn’t a situation where they can get out of McCaffrey’s contract after this year. Even after a post-June 1 release, the Niners would gobble up more than $13.5 million in dead money in 2025. That’s about $17 million in 2026 before the team would come out on top at about $17 million in 2027.

Will Christian McCaffrey ever play a full season again?

McCaffrey earned its extension last summer after submitting video game numbers for 2023. But the 49ers got a full season from a player who hadn’t managed a full season since 2019. The chances that McCaffrey would repeat his 2023 health condition were slim. Unfortunately, San Francisco did not reap the rewards immediately.

Full recovery from a PCL injury can take anywhere from six months to a full year, depending on the severity. The 49ers had no choice but to cut McCaffrey. Hopefully he returns healthy after surgery and rehab in 2025.

Expecting McCaffrey to play another full season — he turns 29 in June — seems like wishful thinking. When McCaffrey is active, he is the workhorse. If you are the workaholic, especially if you have overcome multiple injuries, the chances of them getting worse again increase.

There is no way to protect McCaffrey other than to limit his touches. As we saw on Sunday night against the Buffalo Bills, McCaffrey is far too effective to be given the ball just 10 times. This puts Kyle Shanahan in a difficult position. And since it’s a significant financial commitment, there’s even more reason to feature McCaffrey.

Should the 49ers use an early draft pick on a running back?

Jordan Mason is a restricted free agent after this season. If you’re a team in need of a running back, the 25-year-old Mason has proven to be the reliable runner worth starting in this league.

Last year, a second-round bid would have cost just under $5 million. Would the 49ers be willing to pay Mason that for one season? Unlikely. The bid for the right of first refusal was just under $3 million, which is more viable but also opens the floodgates to other teams. It would be surprising if another team didn’t sign Mason if he was offered for less than a second round pick.

How the team feels about Isaac Guerendo will determine how high a draft pick it uses on a running back – something that is generally a matter of “when” rather than “if” under Shanahan. Guerendo has flashes, but can he be counted on as much as Mason if McCaffrey misses time?

For my money, if the third or fourth round rolls around and Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson is still on the roster, the 49ers will have been lucky to have the best running back in the draft.