Christian McCaffrey made his 2024 NFL debut on Sunday during the San Francisco 49ers’ game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The star running back finally got on the field after missing the first eight games of the season while rehabilitating tendonitis of both of his Achilles tendons. The league’s leading rusher in 2023 and reigning Offensive Player of the Year said the journey from the beginning of the injury issues during training camp to him getting back on the field was a long and arduous one.
McCaffrey said there were some “dark” moments during his rehabilitation.
“The last eight weeks were extremely unfortunate. It’s very tough being injured,” McCaffrey told reporters on Saturday. “It’s tough physically, mentally, emotionally, especially when it’s just not how you planned it. It wasn’t expected. Some stuff just went wrong.”
McCaffrey declined to go into details about his recovery and was tight-lipped about his trip to Germany for further evaluation and possible treatment during the time he was on the injured reserve list.
“I keep all that stuff private,” McCaffrey told reporters. “When you’re on IR and you’re hurt, you’ll do anything to come back. I’m feeling good now. That’s all that matters.”
McCaffrey said that he lives and breathes football, and having the game taken away makes him much more appreciative of being back on the field.
“I think about football every day of my life,” McCaffrey told reporters. “It consumes about 98 percent of my life. So when it doesn’t go right, it can be very tough. But all I know is it makes you realize how blessed and fortunate you are to play when you are on that field. So I’m happy to be back.”
“It can be dark sometimes.”
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