Inside CMC’s Hidden ‘Fire’: The Untold Motivation Driving His Comeback, According to Darnold

Christian McCaffrey is on the cusp of a major return, and if you ask former 49ers quarterback Sam Darnold, there’s no doubt the All-Pro running back is fired up to reclaim his spot on the gridiron spotlight. Having shared locker rooms with McCaffrey not once, but twice—first in Carolina, then with the 49ers during their thrilling Super Bowl chase—Darnold knows firsthand the kind of relentless drive that fuels McCaffrey. It’s not about outside hype or pressure; this guy digs deep, pushing himself every day just to prove he still belongs at the pinnacle of football greatness. Of course, that intensity has its risks—McCaffrey’s recent battle with bilateral Achilles tendonitis, likely a product of overzealous offseason training, sidelined him for weeks. San Francisco’s coaching staff, led by Kyle Shanahan, are keenly aware of this and are carefully balancing pushing him back into form while shielding him from his own competitive fire. Now, as he looks sharper than ever during 49ers’ practices, the buzz around his comeback grows louder. If his passion and perseverance are any indication, we’re in for one heck of a season. LEARN MORE

“Christian, whether he goes through what he went through last year, or he goes through what he went through two years ago, which was one of the best seasons of football that I’ve ever seen, he’s always going to have that fire under him,” Darnold said. “He doesn’t need external motivation.”

Darnold recently spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area in support of the Lowe’s Foundation to support SkillsUSA National Signing Day, which celebrates students entering skilled trades like plumbing, electrical, HVAC and construction. The cause is personal for the quarterback whose father was a plumber by trade.

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“Christian is as ready as any player I’ve ever been around,” Shanahan said on Thursday. “When he gets hurt, he’s got to rehab and get better. Right now he’s healthy as can be. We’ve got to kind of protect him from himself, but Christian has a good idea of what he needs to do right now.

During the 49ers’ most recent open practice of organized team activities, McCaffrey looked like himself, while both running routes and carrying the ball. San Francisco has its next open practice on Wednesday.

“He’s doing a lot less than he normally would do, but I know he is excited on how healthy he feels and the fact that he can get out there.”

Darnold, who signed a three-year 0.5 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason, was teammates with McCaffrey when both were members of the Carolina Panthers from 2021 to 2022.

Christian McCaffrey is set for a comeback season and former 49ers quarterback Sam Darnold believes the All-Pro running back is motivated to show the world he’s back.

“The best trait that Christian has is he is the most internally motivated person I’ve ever met in my life,” Darnold said. “He will always be that way, and that guy does not need any other motivation other than just, he what he wants to prove to himself on a day to day basis.” 

With that motivation in consideration, the coach Kyle Shanahan and his coaching staff understand the need to protect McCaffrey from himself. Over training during the offseason could have contributed to the bilateral Achilles tendonitis that kept McCaffrey off the field for the first eight weeks of the 2024 season.

And then again the two shared a locker room in the Bay Area during the 2023 NFL season as the 49ers’ embarked on a Super Bowl run.