Christian McCaffrey (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
It appears the “Madden Curse” is wasting no time wriggling into works with Christian McCaffrey.

The San Francisco 49ers star made the cover of the popular NFL football video game this year, but there are likely some of his fans who hate it, as Madden cover athletes usually go on to have disappointing campaigns the year the game comes out.

According to Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan, McCaffrey is dealing with a calf strain. The coach has said the injury shouldn’t be long-term, but McCaffrey should be sidelined for “a couple weeks” and likely won’t play in preseason, per CBS Sports.

“Christian has a calf strain,” Shanahan was quoted as saying. “Did it a couple of days ago. It’s alright. He didn’t pull it or anything, but you guys probably won’t see him this preseason.”

C-Mac finished the 2023 season with 1,459 rushing yards on 272 carries, the most in the league, adding 14 touchdowns. He was an MVP candidate for most of the term and was the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year en route to a Super Bowl appearance.

His exploits for San Francisco were rewarded with a two-year contract extension paying him $19 million a year.

Christian McCaffrey’s Injury Is Hardly All The San Francisco 49ers Have To Worry About Ahead Of The 2024 NFL Season

While Christian McCaffrey is expected to be ready to play in Week 1, he’s hardly the team’s only roster concern as they have made little headway in negotiations with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who is now likely to be traded after demanding a move.

McCaffrey reportedly referred to the wideout as his “former teammate” before correcting himself while speaking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon.

It appears the RB doesn’t expect Aiyuk to be with the Niners in 2024.