The voluntary aspect of the San Francisco 49ers' preparations for the 2024 season has now been removed.

San Francisco starts its mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, with practices running until Friday. The players will then get a long break before training camp starts next month.

Players who do not report to minicamp are subject to fines, and the potential prospect of two of the 49ers' biggest stars taking that risk will be the dominant storyline for San Francisco this week.

Is CMC seeking a new contract?

One of the most surprising absences from 49ers OTAs was the reigning Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey.

Kyle Shanahan was clearly unconcerned when asked about the absences of several players including McCaffrey, reiterating that the first section of the workout program was voluntary. On top of that, a report from ProFootballTalk claimed McCaffrey's absence was not contract related.

But running backs coach Bobby Turner described McCaffrey's failing to report for OTAs as the "business part" of football when he was interviewed by local reporters, leaving open the possibility that McCaffrey is seeking an improved deal after his monster 2023.

If that does prove to be the case, it will be a significant complication for the 49ers, who will hope to see any possibility of a contract saga removed by McCaffrey reporting for minicamp and practicing.

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Aiyuk: Holdout or hold-in?

The odds of Brandon Aiyuk practicing as he and the 49ers continue to negotiate over a long-term contract extension are slim.

But there's a chance that, instead of starting a holdout by failing to report for minicamp whatsoever, Aiyuk could choose to report but not practice, essentially executing a hold-in.

Him taking the latter course of action might give an indication that the 49ers and Aiyuk aren't as far apart in contract talks as they seem right now.

With a stream of lucrative receiver contracts giving Aiyuk more and more leverage in negotiations, there should be urgency on the 49ers' part to get the deal over the line. This week should provide some clarity on how much work they still need to do to achieve that feat.

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Will secondary picture get clearer?

With Charvarius Ward recovering from core muscle surgery, there are extra first-team reps to go around at cornerback, potentially allowing the 49ers to solve a key question.

The 49ers put second-round pick Renardo Green at nickel corner to start his career, believing he has the skill set to excel in that role despite playing very limited snaps there in college.

Will he make that role his own? Or will free agent addition Isaac Yiadom, coming off a strong 2023 with the New Orleans Saints, shine to such an extent at outside corner that the 49ers elect to play him on nickel downs with Deommodore Lenoir kicking inside as he did for much of last season?

Those questions won't be answered for a while, but how Yiadom and Green perform on the first-team reps they receive at minicamp will provide a better idea of how the cornerback picture is likely to shake out.

San Francisco 49ers minicamp: Key offseason replacement leads list of players to watch on defense

He’s under pressure to perform.