Niners RB Christian McCaffrey appreciates MVP interest, but Super Bowl victory is 'biggest thing on the planet'

HENDERSON, Nev. — Christian McCaffrey's first Super Bowl experience will also include a moment of suspense roughly 67 hours before kickoff.

He is eligible for the AP NFL Player of the Year award, the nation's top award, thanks to a 2023 season in which he led the NFL in touchdowns, scrimmage yards, and scrimmage touchdowns, and recorded a career-high 1,459 yards. He'll find out whether voters consider him worthy Thursday night NFL Honors.

At this point, there's no guarantee whether McCaffrey will beat out Lamar Jackson (or the rest of the players) for the MVP award, but he's already learned what's most important to him among his hardware choices: the Lombardi Trophy.

“One thing this week taught me is that individual awards and all the individual accolades you get are great, but there's nothing bigger than the Super Bowl, and that's very true,” McCaffrey said Wednesday. “I think I realized that when they announced All-Pro and Pro Bowl and all that stuff.

“I'm very grateful for those, and I don't take them lightly, I don't take them for granted, but getting a chance to play in the Super Bowl is the biggest thing on the planet, and I think 'that's what this whole game is about.' So I think that's what's really special.”