According to DraftKings Sportsbook, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy currently holds the second-best odds of winning the NFL MVP award, with his teammate, running back Christian McCaffrey, ranking ninth. Head coach Kyle Shanahan is far from unbiased, but he can see a case being made for either of his players contending for the coveted honor.
When pressed about Purdy and McCaffrey's MVP candidacy, Shanahan jokingly expressed concern about getting into trouble with his two players for campaigning for one or the other.
"That's the only reason I wouldn't overly comment on either one of them because I don't want them to cancel each other out," Shanahan said. "But if any non-quarterback is going to get an MVP, I don't get how Christian McCaffrey can't. I mean, he's amazing in what he's done all year.
"If it's going to a quarterback, then I don't have to talk about Christian. I can talk about our quarterback. And if his numbers is all you see, then I think that solves it up. But if you watch the film, then it makes it even stronger, which to me is the most important thing."
Purdy underwent offseason surgery to repair the UCL injury sustained in last season's NFC Championship Game. The quarterback joined Bay Area radio station KNBR this week, sharing that he sought the advice of former 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens, who underwent a similar procedure in 2020.
Mullens advised Purdy that he would notice a significant improvement in his arm around the season's midway point.
Purdy noted, "And he was right. Halfway through the year, my arm feels great now, so I'm excited about that."
Shanahan was asked about Purdy's comments and if he has also noticed an improvement in his quarterback.
"It's not that you can see it on film," Shanahan responded. "It's not like, Wow, it's got a lot more zip. He's throwning a lot farther. I think it's about being in shape. When receivers go a month without catching a football, they come back and they drop balls, and it's not because their hands aren't in shape. It's because their eyes aren't. They're not used to running full speed and tracking things that fast, and so they just don't see it as well.
"If a quarterback is not throwing in the offseason, they're born to throw, and he throws it right, and once he was cleared, he was throwing it normal, but it's not in true shape. He's not just doing it day in and day out and putting all those reps in. That's why sometimes guys get hurt, and they can't throw for a few weeks, and they come back, they still have their arm strength, but it's just not consistent.
"And I think Brock, his consistency is there. I think trying to get his arm back in shape and building up and ramping all that up, with just the number of throws and stuff, eventually catches up to you. And I think that's why that week off, he just didn't do anything."
While Shanahan admitted that Purdy looked rusty after returning from the bye week, he noted that by the end of the week, the quarterback was throwing better than he had all season. Now, Purdy and McCaffrey have their team in the driver's seat for the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture.