San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy enters another season of high expectations, and ESPN sees a lot in store for the fifth-year quarterback.
ESPN’s Seth Walder named Purdy as one of the top-10 MVP candidates for 2026. Purdy has been in the running before, and he finished as high as fourth in 2023 when he led the 49ers to the Super Bowl.
“You can’t argue with Purdy’s numbers when he has been on the field,” Walder wrote. “His 69.7 QBR over the past four seasons ranks second behind only Josh Allen.”
The Buffalo Bills quarterback is one of the most efficient around. Allen had a 65.4 QBR last season, but he had ratings of 74.8, 70.3, and 73.4 since 2022.
Purdy had a QBR of 72.8 last year, and he hit a career-best 73.4 QBR in 2023. He had a 67.5 QBR as a rookie, and he dipped to 64.8 during an injury-riddled 2024 season for the team.
His best QBR also came when running back Christian McCaffrey had an MVP-caliber season in 2023. Because of McCaffrey’s prowess and the team’s offensive dynamics, Walder sees one hindrance in Purdy’s MVP candidacy for 2026.
“The Kyle Shanahan offense might be a hindrance to Purdy getting MVP votes, but one could make the same argument against Stafford with Sean McVay or Caleb Williams [the other QB I considered here] with Ben Johnson. And it didn’t seem to hold the Rams QB back in last season’s vote,” Walder wrote.
Brandon Aiyuk a Pending Loss For Brock Purdy
The 49ers have seen better offseasons in franchise history when it comes to the wide receiver, and things aren’t looking up with the Brandon Aiyuk drama.
“His relationship with the 49ers is apparently broken, making him likely to be on another team by the start of the season,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote. “The Niners have resisted cutting him, but if they can’t find a trade partner, they have to make him a free agent before the season starts.”
Aiyuk was a big part of Purdy’s career year in 2023 with 4,280 yards passing for 31 touchdowns versus 11 interceptions. Aiyuk had 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns, but he has been sidelined due to injury for most of the past two years.
Brock Purdy Set For New-Look Receiver Room
While Purdy has fared well the past two years without Aiyuk, the 49ers lost another two of his favorite targets this offseason. Purdy will need to thrive with a new-look wide receiver room in 2026.
“The 49ers lose Jauan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne but replace them with Mike Evans and Christian Kirk. On the veteran market, that’s an upgrade,” ESPN wrote. “Evans in particular brings an element of size and catch radius the 49ers haven’t had under coach Kyle Shanahan. Throw in De’Zhaun Stribling — a talented rookie, if perhaps a tad overdrafted — and the 49ers have a deeper receivers room this year.”
Purdy has done well with less talent the past two seasons, which could bode well for 2026 — especially if Evans returns to form. In the past two seasons, Purdy has completed more than 65% of his passes and has thrown for at least 20 touchdowns amid his own injuries and missing key players due to injury.
49ers’ Brock Purdy Receives Major Projection For 2026