When the MVP award is handed out at NFL Honors on Thursday night, Lamar Jackson almost assuredly will be the one accepting it.
The Associated Press recently named the five finalists for the award, with Jackson, joining Christian McCaffrey, Dak Prescott, Brock Purdy and Josh Allen. But McCaffrey and Purdy together might have gotten more votes than Jackson from the 50 selectors.
“It is unusual,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone. “I think to get to where we have been, to where we’ve gotten and to do it at the level we’ve had, you should have some players. I know we’ve got some defensive guys up for some awards, too, but having both of those guys in the run and the pass game where Christian does them both -- and really Brock’s done them both -- they’ve both been unbelievable and the biggest parts of our offense.”
Purdy has campaigned for McCaffrey to win it, and McCaffrey has put his support behind Purdy.
McCaffrey is the favorite to win offensive player of the year, which in recent years has become the offensive MVP award for non-quarterbacks.
“That’s one of the most respectable guys I’ve ever played with,” Purdy said of McCaffrey. “The way he rehabs, the way he recovers after games, what he eats and his training sessions, he goes hard in everything that he does. He’s very [intentional] with everything that he does throughout his day, his schedule. He’s a true professional, and if there’s a guy that you want to model it’s that guy. For me, coming in, obviously we traded for him halfway thorough the season last year, but still, Day 1 when he got here, I was like, ‘OK, this guy’s different.’ He’s fighting and clawing. He can do everything -- run the ball, catch the ball.
“And more than anything, [it’s] his mindset. He’s not all about himself. He’s about the team. He obviously stands for good things in life and has got great morals, but that’s the kind of guy you want to go to war with, and he’s got your back.”
