No quarterback in the NFL is playing better than San Francisco 49ers star Brock Purdy right now, and a Week 5 road test against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks could spark a conversation few expected.
If the 49ers win and improve to 5-0, Purdy would become the early frontrunner to be the 49ers’ 1st NFL Most Valuable Player since quarterback Steve Young in 1994 — coincidentally also the last year the 49ers won the Super Bowl.
“Purdy is the MVP favorite if he pulls this off somehow,” The Ringer’s Sal Iacono said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on Sunday night. “Definitely.”
Through 4 games, Purdy has thrown for 1,007 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 1 interception, to go with 122 rushing yards and 1 touchdown. He leads the NFL in touchdown passes and QB rating (89.6).
According to DraftKings’ latest NFL MVP odds, Purdy (+330) is second only to Buffalo Bills quarterback and 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen (+270) after Week 4.
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Purdy Left Off Preseason List of Elite NFL QBs
Purdy couldn’t crack ESPN’s annual preseason position rankings, where he landed in the “honorable mention” category, as voted on by the league’s executives, coaches, and scouts.
In 4 seasons as the 49ers’ starter, Purdy has led his team to the playoffs 3 times, including coming just short of winning the Super Bowl following the 2023 season in an overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, but he missed 8 games due to injuries in 2025.
“He has got two superpowers,” one anonymous NFC executive told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “Layering the ball and short-area quickness to stay alive. He’s elite in those two areas.”
Purdy became 1 of the NFL’s highest-paid players before the 2025 season when he signed a 5-year, $265 million contract extension.
If Purdy were named NFL MVP, it would be one of the greatest underdog stories in NFL history — he was the “Mr. Irrelevant” final pick in the 7th round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Iowa State.
“Brock Purdy is the only QB in NFL history to start 4-0 with 1 or fewer sacks, fumbles, INT,” CBS Sports researcher Doug Clawson wrote on X. “Brock Purdy this season: W-L 4-0, Sacked 0, Fumbles 0, INT 1.”
“We have quite literally never seen the level of QB play that we’re seeing from Brock Purdy to open this season,” San Francisco Standard’s David Lombardi wrote on his official X account.
History of San Francisco 49ers NFL MVP Winners
In the 49ers’ 82-year history, 3 different players have been named NFL MVP a total of 5 times. All of them have been quarterbacks.
John Brodie was the 49ers’ first NFL MVP in 1970, after leading the NFL in passing yards (2,941), touchdown passes (24), and QB rating (93.8) in an era when the NFL still played a 14-game regular-season schedule.
Pro Football Hall of Famer and 4-time Super Bowl champion Joe Montana was named NFL MVP in consecutive years in 1989 and 1990. Young, another Pro Football Hall of Famer, was also a 2-time NFL MVP in 1992 and 1994.
49ers QB Brock Purdy on Verge of Being ‘Clear-Cut MVP Favorite’