The San Francisco 49ers have a difficult decision to make in their backfield this offseason. While they will obviously put their faith in Christian McCaffrey to bounce back from a 2024 season ruined by injury, the issue of what to do with the man who filled in for him for most of the year is more complex.

Jordan Mason was outstanding in McCaffrey's absence, racking up 880 yards from scrimmage, with 789 of those coming on the ground at an average of 5.2 yards per carry.

He likely would have topped 1,000 yards had he not suffered a season-ending high ankle sprain in the Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills shortly after McCaffrey had sustained a PCL injury that ended his frustrating campaign in the same game.

Mason is a restricted free agent this offseason and, though he impressed significantly in 2024, him staying with the 49ers is far from a guarantee.

The 49ers have three options when it comes to placing a tender on Mason. A first-round tender ($7.279 million) is obviously not in play, but a second-round ($5.217 million) or right of first refusal tender ($3.185 million) both figure to be options for San Francisco.

Given the 49ers would ideally want to receive draft compensation in exchange for potentially losing Mason, the second-round tender appears the most likely avenue. Few teams would be expected to have a desire to part with a second-round pick to acquire Mason.

Still, the cost of that tender for a backup may be off-putting for San Francisco. As such, the 49ers could be tempted to avoid the whole situation altogether and sign Mason to an extension.

With Mason still only 25, there would be upside to penning him to a multi-year deal, which the 49ers could structure to make his 2025 cap hit lower than it would be under a tender.

But complicating that potential plan is the quick rise of 2024 fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo.

Like McCaffrey and Mason, Guerendo was also impacted by injury in 2024, but still flashed his home-run hitting ability and upside in the receiving game.

Guerendo finished his rookie season with 572 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns, with all of his scores coming on the ground along with 420 of his total yards.

The former Louisville and Wisconsin back was one of just 16 running backs with at least 50 carries to post a positive Expected Points Added per play, illustrating his explosive play ability.

Guerendo was 14th in EPA per attempt. More impressively, though, he led running backs to meet that 50-carry threshold in yards after contact per attempt.

Indeed, Guerendo was the only back in that group to record four yards after contact per attempt. His nearest challenger being Tank Bigsby (3.7). Mason, known for his bruising running style, averaged (3.2).

Guerendo's contact balance improved throughout the year, with his position at the top of the yards after contact ranking indicative of the strides he has made.

After a season in which McCaffrey played only four games, it is clear reliable depth at the running back position is a must. In that sense, Mason, is an extremely valuable asset with his ability to wear down defenses with his 223-pound frame.

But if Guerendo can do the same, and gain yards after contact at a higher rate than Mason, then there is a strong case to be made that there is little reason to keep Mason around given the athletic gifts that make Guerendo a more substantial threat to rip off field-flipping gains. 

The smart money says the 49ers will still tender Mason and perhaps look to sign him to a long-term deal. However, an underrated season from Guerendo may make it more difficult of a decision than it otherwise might have been.

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