The NFL offseason is a time when various predictions and forecasts surface, especially as teams prepare for training camps. NFL.com writer Eric Edholm has predicted that San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey will be the team’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the upcoming 2024 season.

“First off, this is no Brock Purdy slander,” Edholm clarified. “I’ve appreciated his stunning and unexpected growth as much as anyone and freely admit to have written him off as a prospect coming out. But let’s be honest with ourselves: CMC is as much the engine of this offense as anyone else in Kyle Shanahan’s share-the-wealth system.”

McCaffrey’s contributions to the 49ers’ offense have been substantial. Last season, he accumulated 2,023 scrimmage yards, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the team’s total offensive production. He also scored 21 of the 49ers’ 60 touchdowns, earning the NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors and finishing third in MVP voting.

“For a spell last season, he might have been the favorite — as a running back! In 2023!” Edholm noted. “I don’t know if he’ll ever win the league MVP award, as quarterbacks have had a hammerlock on that award for decades now. But if there’s any non-QB who deserves it, CMC might be the guy. That makes him a bit stronger candidate for the 49ers to me than Purdy, who is the ultimate distributor.”

The last non-quarterback to win the NFL’s MVP award was running back Adrian Peterson in 2012. McCaffrey currently has the best odds among non-quarterbacks to earn the honor for the upcoming season.

McCaffrey joined the 49ers via a mid-season trade in 2022 and has become an integral part of the team’s offense. San Francisco recently extended his contract through the 2027 season.

“He’s obviously the offensive MVP for a reason,” said 49ers run game coordinator and offensive line coach Chris Foerster. “He’s a great football player. He could probably do everything, whether he’s a blocker, whether he’s a runner, whether he’s a pass catcher, whether he’s a route runner at receiver, running back, whatever it is. He can do everything but play offensive line on this team.”