San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey has a shot at one of the NFL’s more overlooked receiving records in two years
Sports Illustrated‘s Eva Geitheim identified McCaffrey as the top candidate to break Marshall Faulk’s career receiving yards record for a running back. Faulk, the Hall of Fame running back who played for the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Rams, set the mark at 6,875 yards over his 12-year NFL career.
McCaffrey currently sits at 5,390 career receiving yards, leaving him 1,485 short of Faulk’s record. He would need at least two more seasons of 750 receiving yards or three more seasons with at least 500 receiving yards to surpass the mark.
It’s a realistic but far-from-easy target. While McCaffrey had 924 receiving yards in 2025, that was his highest mark since 2019, when he rushed and caught for 1,000 yards. It also took McCaffrey a career-high and NFL-high 413 touches, including 129 targets.
McCaffrey turned 30 earlier this month, and the durability question is real. He missed most of the 2024 and 2022 seasons with injuries, and could also see a reduced workload in 2026.
Still, the case for McCaffrey rests on what he’s shown throughout his career. His pass-catching ability out of the backfield has been a cornerstone of San Francisco’s offense under Kyle Shanahan, and nothing about his work ethic or preparation suggests a sudden dropoff.
Faulk’s mark has stood since 2005. McCaffrey may be the best chance it has of falling anytime soon.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Analyst predicts 49ers star to break long-standing NFL record
