49ers’ top 4 MVP candidates: Can anyone beat George Kittle?

49ers MVP Candidate No. 1: Tight End George Kittle

While there are a number of candidates who could potentially unseat George Kittle as the favorite to be named San Francisco’s MVP this season, it’s still too hard to suggest it’ll be anyone else but the prolific tight end.

As long as he stays healthy, of course.

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True, Kittle has a bit of a health history that isn’t overly great. But rather than looking back at what happened last year, all one needs to do is recall his 2018 and 2019 campaigns where he set multiple NFL records, including the previously owned single-season receiving yards by a tight end (1,377) in 2018 and most receiving yards by a tight end over the first three years of his career (2,945).

It’s one thing to call out the stats, which are impressive. Yet Kittle does so much more for the 49ers offense than just catch passes. He’s one of the league’s elite blockers at his position, acts as a decoy to take pressure off the rest of the offense and is also a team leader.

Understating Kittle’s importance to the Niners is nearly impossible.

As such, and with team MVP awards meaning more than just boasting good stats, Kittle remains a top candidate to receive this accolade by the time 2021 comes to a close.