Christian McCaffrey feels ‘inspired’ by 49ers legend Frank Gore’s longevity as he eyes to become the first non-QB MVP in over a decade this season

Christian McCaffrey can win the MVP award this season as a non-quarterback.

Christian McCaffrey feels ‘inspired’ by 49ers legend Frank Gore’s longevity as he eyes to become the first non-QB MVP in over a decade this season

Frank Gore (L) and Christian McCaffrey (R) (Image via Pro Football Network/ Sports Illustrated)


Ahead of the mouthwatering clash against the Dallas Cowboys, the San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey spoke explicitly on the influence of Frank Gore on his deadly form. McCaffrey is at his very best this NFL season and has won the confidence of the analysts as a possible MVP (most valuable player) contender. The player attributed his success to Frank Gore as he has influenced him a lot.

In an interview with the NBC Sports Bay Arena, the running back said, “I think it’s a mindset, it’s having extremely good instincts, vision and it’s comfort in the offense too. You watch him, he’s good at not just taking big hits but I think when you watch him, he knows when to deliver big hits too and be the hammer, not the nail.”

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“He was such a great back for so long because of that. He had all of the intangibles but the instincts and the things that are hard to teach, he had all of those things,” he further added. 

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The 40-year-old Frank Gore had a long NFL career. In his 16 years of professional football, Gore represented five teams. However, he was a 49er for most of his career. In his 16 years of football, the player registered 3,735 carries for 16,000 yards. The player ranks behind Walter Payton (16,275 yards) and Emmitt Smith (18,355 yards). The player had nine seasons as a 49er and provided his best for the team.

In his interaction, McCaffrey also mentioned the longevity of Gore’s career. He mentioned that Gore deserves his respect as a player as the former added, “His longevity. I think just to do what he did for so long is unbelievable. That’s something that is tough to do. I just have so much respect for the way he did it and also his mindset as a runner. He had all the gifts you would want. The way he would finish runs, the way he would refuse to go down. It was fun watching him growing up. I was a kid when he was rolling.” 

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Christian McCaffrey is having the best of his time for the 49ers

The NFL 2023-24 season is turning into a blessing for Christian McCaffrey. The RB is in his best form. In the first four games, the player covered 459 rushing yards with 80 carries with an average of 5.7 yards per rushing attempt.

Christian McCaffrey
Christian McCaffrey from his Panthers’ days (Via Open Source)

In addition to this, the player registered six rushing touchdowns and 18 receives for 141 yards. 

Considering his performance, the analysts have already started advocating for him as the possible MVP winner. If he finally wins the MVP, then he will be the first non-QB MVP winner in this decade. 

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