"I didn't do a lot of fun things," Christian McCaffrey tells me when I ask if there's something,anythinghe did to decompress this offseason. "I'll be honest with you: I was pretty dialed into training and trying to come back to the best player I can be. So it was a pretty locked-in offseason for me. There weren't a lot of extracurriculars." Talk to the San Francisco 49ers star running back for more than five minutes and you'll know that this isn't some gym-rat, hustle-mantra platitude—the dude has a lot on his plate. For one, McCaffrey and his wife, Olivia Culpo, areexpecting a baby. ("I'm definitely starting to get the jitters," he admits.) On thefootballend, he recently joined his 49ers teammates for voluntary practices. He's looking to bounce back from injuries that kept him off the field for most of San Francisco's disappointing 6–11 season. And there's the reason why we're chatting: McCaffrey just launched a new campaign with Cadillac, centered on the Escalade IQ SUV—which, by the way, he's looking forward to chauffeuring the little one around in. "That's going to be my Dadmobile," he says. "I can't wait." Another thing McCaffrey can't wait for? The 2028 Summer Olympics, which will not only go down in his squad's home state but will see the debut of flag football as an official sport. As fans build their dream teams—from Justin Jefferson at wide receiver toPatrick Mahomesat quarterback—I ask the 28-year-old if he'd like to play for Team USA should the opportunity present itself. "Absolutely," he says. "Having a chance to win a gold medal would be one of the coolest things on the planet. So hopefully I'm still playing by then, but if not, we'll see. That'd be a lot of fun, though." Below, McCaffrey opens up about his first-time father jitters, his sudden transformation into a Deadhead, and the mood so far at the 49ers practice facility. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. "It comes in waves of excitement. You continue living your life and then it hits you in these random times. I'm so, so excited to be a dad. My wife's been killing it, so I give her all the credit. She's the one that has had to do all the work. "I've gotten so much advice. The biggest thing I've taken from hearing different walks of life—from my dad to Olivia's dad and my friends who are parents—is just to enjoy it. Everybody's journey is different. So right now I'm just strapped in, ready to go and try to enjoy it as much as I can. That's been something that everybody's told me to do, is just to really enjoy the moments when they're small and when they're young, because it goes by so fast, even if it seems like the days are long." "That was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had in my life. That was my first ever Dead concert, and I'll definitely be going back. It was so much fun. Amazing music, amazing venue. I don't know if you've ever been to a concert at the Sphere, but it was incredible to do it with a few of my teammates—it made it that much better. It's almost overwhelming because you don't know where to look. There's so much going on. It made me want to go back so bad. Depending on where you're sitting at the Sphere, you have a completely different show." "I mean, they really are. It's so good to have everybody here. Obviously last year wasn't the year that anyone wanted. So to have everybody back and to feel that hunger in the building, to see the effort on the field, to see how guys are lifting, how they're running, how they're taking care of their bodies, it's just a really good feel in the building right now. It's exactly what you would want for this time of year. "Every year is a new year, and each play has a point of its own. And so whether or not it was a good or bad year the year before, you really have to try to flush it as quick as possible. It's about being present. It's about making adjustments on the fly and being able to adapt but also focusing on now. Who is our team now, and how can we win now? Working hard every day to be the best team we can be. To see the kind of work that we're putting in now, hopefully it'll carry over into training camp and into the season." "To see how the game has grown has been a lot of fun. Two years ago, I played a game in Mexico, and it was one of the coolest environments I've ever played in in my life. The fans were out of this world. You just don't know, when you're in it, whether or not people from other countries are even watching. But it felt like the Super Bowl there. It was incredible. And to hear the Mexican national anthem before the gameandthe American national anthem—just the whole culture of where we played was really cool. "When you're a kid and you playNFL Streetand you play at these different parks—and these different parks have different cultures and different settings—and you get to do that, it makes the game so much fun. It adds so much character to football. The more we can grow it internationally, the more fun it'll be. I'm Irish, so I would like to play in Ireland. That would be pretty cool." "Partnering with Cadillac was such an easy decision, because it's a brand with legacy and a clear vision for the future. That combination is really powerful. They've always stood for excellence—and it's such a timeless car and a timeless brand. There's so much synergy with Cadillac and where I'm at in my career right now and wanting to leave something behind." You Might Also Like Kid Cudi Is All Right 16 Best Shoe Organizers For Storing and Displaying Your Kicks
