Christian McCaffrey on QB uncertainty: 'You just go about your business'
San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey is not getting caught up in the uncertainty.
The quarterback position for the San Francisco 49ers hinges on the arm health of 2022 standout Brock Purdy.
And given recent news, that bet doesn't feel as certain as it once did. Currently, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold are battling to determine who will be Purdy's understudy until he is available to play around the start of the 2023 season. Yikes. Though most stars would shudder at the idea of playing through immense uncertainty, Niners star running back Christian McCaffrey is choosing a different approach to the unsteady future at the most important position in the game.
"You just go about your business," McCaffrey told Eisen on the Rich Eisen Show on Friday. "For me, no matter who the quarterback is, I have to get open. I'm not thinking about the quarterback. I'm thinking about getting open, hitting the right holes, and doing my job. Otherwise, it doesn't matter.
"And I think everybody has that mentality. It's doing your job, do it at the highest level. I'm not a quarterback evaluator. People ask me all the time, how's the quarterback? I have no idea. I don't know the mechanics. I have no idea how to evaluate quarterbacks. But what I do know is all three of them are amazing. All three of them are great options."
Though McCaffrey is choosing to focus on business as usual, he still offered support of Purdy, who impressed the all-pro running back with his poise in big moments.
"I talk about Brock and what he did last year, and not just how he played, but the way he carried himself," McCaffrey shared. "He's built to be a quarterback in this league."
McCaffrey also didn't discredit the work Lance is doing at quarterback. Though he didn't get to play with Lance, McCaffrey has seen the way he works, and he trusts the offense in the former first-round pick's hands as well.
"I didn't get to play with Trey last year, but from what I've seen so far, Trey has been great," McCaffrey said. "He's been awesome. And obviously, I've played with Sam, and I know what Sam can do, and seeing all the things that he's been doing this OTAs, too. I think, for us, it's nice knowing that we have three great options.
"And like I said, I don't know who the quarterback is going to be. And frankly, my job is just to be as ready to go as I can for whoever it is. But I just know that we're in good hands no matter what. And I pray to God I don't have to play quarterback again."
With the passing of the Purdy rule, McCaffrey will most likely not have to play quarterback again. And when it comes to who will take snaps as the starting signal caller, he isn't worried. Instead, McCaffrey is focused on the one thing he can control — his own effort.
