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The San Francisco 49ers have one of the best teams in the NFL, and it's thanks in part to Brock Purdy emerging as a franchise quarterback despite being "Mister Irrelevant."
He's been anything but since his debut, as Purdy has now signed a $265 million deal and is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. But what about winning the MVP award?
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer highlighted six questions that the 49ers must answer this upcoming season for Purdy to win an MVP award. While he likes Purdy as a QB, this is a tall order for the 49ers QB to win the MVP.
49ers' Brock Purdy has 6 hurdles to win MVP award
"Love Purdy, and I think it's possible if the Niners get healthy, and Ricky Pearsall develops, and Mike Evans, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle maintain their accustomed levels, and Trent Williams does the same and gets through a contact impasse," Breer writes.
That's a lot of hurdles that Purdy will need to clear to win MVP, according to Breer. But, they all make a ton of sense.
For starters, if the team can stay healthy, then the 49ers should be a top Super Bowl contender and could finish with the best record in the NFL, which would be a huge help in Purdy winning the MVP award.
But, it's not just health, the 49ers will also need Pearsall, McCaffrey, Kittle, Evans, and Williams to all play well in 2026 if Purdy were to win the MVP.
If one of those players were to struggle, or in Williams' case, if he were to leave the 49ers, then winning MVP would be a whole lot more challenging.
With the core players dealing with injury histories, contract issues, or simply getting older, there are some major hurdles for Purdy to put together an MVP season.
More: 49ers plan to limit Christian McCaffrey’s touches in 2026
His best work came in 2023, when he went 12-4 with a 69.4% completion rate with 4,280 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, an NFL-best 113 passer rating, and a Pro Bowl nod. That season ended with Purdy in fourth-place of MVP voting.
Such a great year was still a bit off from winning the award, so Purdy would need to have a similar season to what Matthew Stafford did this past year, with 4,707 yards, 46 TDs, eight interceptions, and a 12-5 record to win MVP.
It's not going to be easy for Purdy to win MVP. As Breer noted, "So while winning MVP might be a bit of a stretch, it's not unattainable."
Purdy will need McCaffrey, Kittle, Evans, and Pearsall to all play well, while Williams returns after a contract dispute, and the 49ers stay healthy all year to have a realistic chance of winning the NFL MVP this upcoming season.
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