Jordan Mason Changes Tune in Blunt Answer on 49ers’ Starting Running Back Timeline

Kristen Wong | Sep 10, 2024

David Gonzales-Imagn Images

San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason did nearly everything right for his team in Monday’s 32-19 win over the New York Jets in the season-opener. Mason, a formerly undrafted player out of Georgia Tech, rushed for 147 yards and one touchdown to dominate the running game after Christian McCaffrey was ruled out of Week 1 hours before kick-off.

For all of Mason’s rushing heroics, though, he may have accidentally slipped up in a postgame interview with ESPN’s Lisa Salters, when he admitted he knew he would be the 49ers’ starting running back as early as Friday.

Mason was asked about San Francisco’s running back timeline again in Monday’s postgame presser, and he sounded much more irritated about having to answer the question.

“That question right there is why I’m mad,” Mason said. “That’s why I don’t like really talking to media, ‘cause you say one thing wrong and then … I don’t know, just skip that question.”

Jordan Mason was upset during the postgame press conference

After the game he told reporters that he was told he was going to start on Friday.

Kyle Shanahan was asked about this and said that this wasn’t true.

This was Mason after all of that: https://t.co/UA4yAuMzQp pic.twitter.com/zsApKlYOIv

— Kevin Krueger (@kevinkruegs) September 10, 2024

In the face of a potential fine from the NFL, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan clarified with reporters that he never told Mason he was going to start on Friday.

“I told him he had to be ready a bunch, but that might've been [Robert Turner Jr.] or somebody trying to pump him up,” Shanahan said. “I knew he was going to have to play a lot, told him that it wasn't going to be like usual. He was going to be a No. 2 back that was splitting a lot of the time, but he didn't know for sure he was doing that until today.”

Had the 49ers known they wouldn’t play McCaffrey, who’s recovering from calf and Achilles injuries, ahead of time, they would have needed to report that before game day to avoid any potential fines.

Mason clearly regretted his comments from earlier and will probably think twice before answering lineup-related questions in the future.

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