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But Cohn noted a few conditions for Purdy to earn the crown of the best player in football. The Pro Bowler must consistently ball out throughout the season.

If [Purdy] stays healthy, if [Mike] Evans stays healthy, if [Christian] McCaffrey, [George] Kittle, he could throw 40 touchdowns & run for 500 yards. He is having that kind of a camp.

Last year, Purdy missed eight games due to a shoulder injury. Several star players, including Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, and George Kittle, spent time on the sidelines last year.

It slowed the Niners' momentum, but they still managed to put together a winning record. Purdy completed 69.4% of his passes for 2167 yards, threw 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while also rushing for three scores. In Purdy's absence, Mac Jones won five games. Collectively, the Niners won 12 games to finish third in the NFC West behind the Rams and the Seahawks.

Purdy started the wildcard round against the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite throwing a couple of picks, the  . However, the Seahawks defense made life hell for Purdy in the divisional playoff game. He   with an interception in a 41-6 demolition.

In the offseason, the Niners parted ways with Jauan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne. They added All-Pro wideout Mike Evans and veteran Christian Kirk and brought back Deebo Samuel. The Niners also lowered the average age of their receiver room by drafting Ole Miss alum De'Zhaun Stribling.

On a negative note, Ricky Pearsall will miss the entire 2026 season after being placed on injured reserve on August 1, 2026, due to a lingering posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury in his right knee. All-Pro wideout Brandon Aiyuk's time could be over because he wants to play for the Washington Commanders. But that route closed after Washington signed Stefon Diggs.

A couple of days before appearing on the 49ers Collective to rave about Purdy's chances of becoming the league MVP, Grant Cohn had reported grim news about the 26-year-old signal-caller. According to Cohn, Purdy had an  outing on Day 9 of the 49ers camp.

Cohn wrote that Purdy threw not one but two pick-6s at practice.

[Brock Purdy] threw two pick-sixes. The first one was a bad decision because he forced a pass in the end zone to Demarcus Robinson, who was heavily covered by Deommodore Lenoir. Bad matchup for the offense. Purdy simply got greedy.

But toward the end, Cohn sympathized with Purdy and pinned the blame on the Niners coaches.

Purdy is having a good camp, but there's only so much he can do with his current group of receivers. The 49ers aren't setting him up for success this year.

Despite the struggles, Sports Illustrated's Ryan Gilbert believes that Purdy has better odds of winning the league MVP title ahead of reigning Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold, Jaguars Trevor Lawrence and former Super Bowl winner and MVP Jalen Hurts.

Purdy was the last pick of the 2022 draft. Since his debut, he has won an NFC title and played in the 2023-24 Super Bowl. Purdy has been voted as the 85th-best player in the latest NFL Top 100 Players list.