There is plenty of debate when it comes to predictions of how the San Francisco 49ers will do this season after they went 6-11 in 2024 amidst a massive rash of injuries. While some aren’t optimistic about the team’s chances, others are projecting a return to competitiveness, not to mention the playoffs.

Niners quarterback Brock Purdy is also the subject of much debate, as many members of the national media claim he’s no better than average and merely a beneficiary of his environment. But one major publication is predicting that he will do so well this year that he will win a major individual award.

The staff of The Athletic recently made bold predictions for each NFL team, and it predicted that Purdy will win the 2025 league MVP award.

“The 49ers have the (healthy) star power, coaching, young defensive talent and easy schedule to bounce back from last year’s 6-11 record and make a playoff run,” wrote Vic Tafur. “Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle can’t win MVP, because one’s a running back and the other is a tight end. Purdy has the talent and narrative — going from Mr. Irrelevant to newly paid franchise QB, plus will get even more credit as the Niners are patching together their receiving corps to start the season.”

Read more: 49ers Prediction Bodes Well For Christian McCaffrey

Purdy, in his first full season as San Francisco’s QB1, threw for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns while completing 69.4% of his passing attempts and leading the NFL in passer rating and QBR in 2023. That high level of play earned him his first Pro Bowl nod, and for a moment in time late in the schedule, he was a frontrunner for the MVP award.

Tafur wrote that the addition of one man will help Purdy capture this year’s MVP honors.

“Oh, and we almost forgot: The 49ers just signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Four of the last five NFL MVPs had MVS on their Week 1 roster: Aaron Rodgers, Rodgers again, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.”

Valdes-Scantling joined the 49ers on Wednesday, just one day after the Seattle Seahawks waived him. He can be the type of deep threat they haven’t had during Kyle Shanahan’s tenure as their coach, and he could help stretch the field for Kittle, McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and others.

Read more: Marquez Valdes-Scantling Reveals Why He Chose 49ers Over Aaron Rodgers

Purdy’s passing accuracy and touchdown percentage fell last year, and it is an open debate as far as whether that drop was due to the injuries his teammates had or because he was exposed.

But as a reference point, Patrick Mahomes, the consensus best quarterback in football, has also seen his numbers dip over the last year or two as the Kansas City Chiefs have had their own problems with their offensive skill players. Mahomes’ touchdown percentage in 2024 (4.5) was only marginally better than Purdy’s (4.4), and his 67.5% pass completion rate was only somewhat better than Purdy’s 65.9% passing accuracy.