Speaking to FanSided, 49ers defensive tackle Arik Armstead is fully on board with Brock Purdy being named NFL MVP this season.

For all intents and purposes, the only people whom San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has to impress are head coach Kyle Shanahan and his teammates.

However, Purdy going above and beyond that to impress the NFL’s decision-makers could result in the second-year signal-caller taking home an improbable award: the 2023 NFL MVP.

It’d be quite the jump from the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft a year ago to the most valuable player in professional football. But, based on the kind of year Purdy is having and when looking at the betting odds of it happening, the reality of him being named MVP is very much real.

He does, after all, lead the league in completion percentage (70.2), yards per attempt (9.6), touchdown passing percentage (6.9) and passer rating (116.1).

As far as impressing his teammates, one such player whom Purdy has impressed a bunch since breaking onto the scene in 2022 is defensive tackle Arik Armstead, who was kind enough to sit down with FanSided to describe several Niners topics, including the team’s star quarterback.

Arik Armstead calls Brock Purdy ‘a remarkable story,’ feels QB should be MVP

Armstead, who spoke with our colleague Justin Fried on FanSided.com, is up for his own notable accolades, including a hunt for his first Pro Bowl nod and a hopeful Walter Payton Man of the Year award for his work in both Bay Area and Sacramento communities.

Understandably, Purdy came up in the discussion, and Armstead didn’t hesitate to break down the traits that make the quarterback so impressive.

“I’ve seen a poise, work ethic, and talent that he came into the league with,” Armstead said of Purdy. “He finds ways to get better each and every day. He’s extremely humble. He doesn’t make the same mistake twice.”

That trajectory hasn’t been hard to see. Purdy was an entertaining story late last season when he became the starter after then-Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a season-ending foot injury.

Now, though, Purdy is playing at a level few even dreamed of seeing.

“He’s a fast learner,” Armstead continued. “I think he should be the frontrunner for MVP this year — he continues to be a remarkable story from Mr. Irrelevant to MVP, hopefully.”

Armstead, meanwhile, is hoping for his first Pro Bowl nod after joining San Francisco as a first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft out of the University of Oregon.

That said, if the 49ers end up making it to the Super Bowl, Armstead won’t be partaking in the Pro Bowl festivities the weekend before the game.

Read more from Niner Noise

Brock Purdy isn’t just flirting with the MVP discussion. After he beat Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, Purdy is now squarely in the thick of the award, and the odds prove it.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has long since moved beyond the realm of being a “cool” story after he was selected with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.

No longer Mr. Irrelevant, a very relevant Purdy has put his name into accolade lists and onto record books with others who are Hall of Famers. Case in point, Purdy is now one of only three Niners quarterbacks to have tossed a perfect 158.3 passer rating in a game, the other two being Joe Montana and Steve Young.

A simple Google search will reveal more records Purdy has broken or reached during his brief two years in the NFL.

And what he’s doing so far this season has been, well… unequalled in many ways:

A long shot to even sniff such an accolade prior to the regular season beginning, Purdy’s latest victory over quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles potentially makes San Francisco’s signal-caller an MVP favorite.

At least damned close, and the odds prove it.

Brock Purdy now tied for 2nd best NFL MVP odds after beating Jalen Hurts, Eagles

Perhaps words are best used by ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, who argued that Purdy doesn’t just deserve to be in the MVP discussion, but rather he’s owning it:

Those words were in the wake of Purdy going 19-of-27 for 314 yards with four touchdowns against zero interceptions for a 148.8 passer rating in the 42-19 one-sided win over Philly. And that was after he entered Week 13 with a league-leading 70.2 completion percentage and 112.3 passer rating

Hurts, another MVP front-runner, was good in the game, too. But it was Purdy who led the show.

In the wake of Purdy’s performance, it’s only understandable to react to where he sits in the NFL MVP discussion.

Hint: It’s high.

The oddsmakers over at FanDuel revised their betting odds for NFL MVP after the game, and Purdy is now tied with Hurts, long considered to be a favorite, at +350.

The top six are as follows:

1. QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (+300)
2. QB Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (+350)
3. QB Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (+350)
4. QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (+600)
5. QB Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (+800)
6. QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (+800)

Prescott, too, has been putting up eyebrow-raising numbers this season, yet even he fell victim to Purdy and the Niners back in Week 5 by a score of 42-10.

While head-to-head contests don’t necessarily decide MVP races, it might help Purdy’s case to know that both Hurts and Prescott were both wholly outshined by Purdy when playing against San Francisco.

Maybe that’ll be what tips the balance in favor of Mr. Irrelevant.