Will 49ers’ next MVP be Purdy, McCaffrey or neither? What to know about the award process

Five things to know about the Associated Press Most Valuable Player Award, which will be announced on NFL Honors Night Thursday night, Feb. 8 in Las Vegas with 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey as prime candidates:

1. It’s a quarterback-driven award

Quarterbacks have won 38 of 57 MVP awards and the last 10 in succession including Patrick Mahomes of Kansas City in 2022. The last non-quarterback to win was Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson in 2012. Peterson rushed for 2,097 yards on 348 carries and scored 13 touchdowns and got 36 first-place votes to eight for second-place finisher Peyton Manning. Quarterbacks for the 49ers have been responsible for five MVPs, with Steve Young winning in 1992 and 1994, Joe Montana in 1989 and 1990 and John Brodie in 1970. Only three players who weren’t a quarterback or a running back have won  — Minnesota defensive tackle Alan Page in 1971, Washington placekicker Mark Moseley in 1982 and Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1986.

2. Ties have happened, but are unlikely

Manning of Indianapolis and Steve McNair of Tennessee shared the MVP in 2003 when each had 16 votes. Barry Sanders of Detroit and Brett Favre of Green Bay shared the award in 1997 when each had 18 votes. Ties are less likely to happen under a weighted system which began two years ago. Instead of casting a ballot with one MVP, voters are asked to rank five candidates, assigning 10-5-3-2-1 points to their top five. Mahomes won in a landslide last season, getting 48 of 50 first-place votes. The chance of Purdy and McCaffrey sharing the award is almost non-existent.

3. Purdy and McCaffrey could hurt each other’s candidacy

If Purdy and McCaffrey split the 49ers vote — and both will get support if the 49ers end up as the NFC’s top seed — it could open things up for someone like Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson to reap the benefits. It happened to the 49ers once before. In 1987, Jerry Rice, who scored 22 touchdowns in 13 games in a strike year, had 30 votes and Montana had 18. The award went to quarterback John Elway of Denver with 36 votes.

4. The voting panel is diverse

The Associated Press conducts the voting, but no A.P. reporters or editors have ballots. The panel is a mix of print and broadcast journalists, former players, coaches and execs. Their names are not made public although some will say how they voted.

5. A clue about the winner

Each of the last 10 quarterbacks who won the MVP was also selected as the first-team quarterback on the AP All-Pro team, which is announced approximately three weeks before the MVP. It’s the same panel of voters, so it’s likely this year’s first-team All-Pro quarterback will follow suit and be the MVP.