Comeback Complete! 49ers’ Christian McCaffery Wins Comeback Player of the Year

When the 2025 season began, many wondered if Christian McCaffrey would still be able to play at an elite level following an injury-plagued 2024 campaign. The San Francisco 49ers’ star running back showed he still has some high-end play left in him — and he’s being rewarded for it. McCaffrey has won Comeback Player of the Year, it was announced at the NFL Honors on Thursday. He beat out New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs, Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott for the award. Hutchinson got nine first-place votes and 221 points. Dak Prescott came in third with six first-place votes and 167 points. Trevor Lawrence got two first-place votes and finished fourth (130). Stefon Diggs came in fifth (40). Philip Rivers and Chris Olave each received one first-place vote. This was one of three awards McCaffrey was nominated for on Thursday. He was the lone non-quarterback finalist for MVP and among the five finalists for Offensive Player of the Year. McCaffrey, 29, had another year in which he proved to be one of the game’s top dual-threat running backs. His 1,202 rushing yards were the eighth-most in the league, and he also had 924 receiving yards. McCaffrey’s 2,126 yards from scrimmage were the second-most in the league. McCaffery’s 17 total touchdowns were the third-most in the NFL. That production helped the 49ers go 12-5 and reach the postseason, nearly winning the NFC West. They upset the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round, with McCaffrey putting up 114 total yards in that game, before falling to the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round. McCaffrey dealt with Achilles and knee injuries that sidelined him for nearly the entirety of the 2024 season, missing 13 games. This is a developing story and will be updated.