San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and quarterback Brock Purdy have made NFL history with their sweep of the FedEx annual awards. On Thursday, McCaffrey and Purdy were announced as the 2023 FedEx Air and Ground Players of the year, respectively. No other quarterback and running back duo from the same organization have ever won the award in the same year. McCaffrey accumulated five of the FedEx Ground Player of the Week awards over the course of the regular season, the most of any running back in the league, and now, has earned the annual award to close out the year. Purdy was nominated for FedEx's Air Player of the Week four times during the regular season slate, winning the award in Week 11, 13 and 14.
McCaffrey closed out 2023 as the NFL rushing yards leader (1,459), the league rushing touchdowns leader (14) and the scrimmage triple-crown title holder (leader in touches, yards and touchdowns). This 2023 season marks the second time McCaffrey has registered 2,000-or-more yards from scrimmage in his career (2,392 yards from scrimmage in 2019 with the Carolina Panthers), and he is the fourth 49ers player to record 2,000-or-more yards from scrimmage in a season in franchise history. His tremendous output earned him unanimous All-Pro honors, a Pro Bowl nod, and additionally, he was nominated for both AP Most Valuable Player and AP Offensive Player of the Year.
Purdy ended the year at the top of many of the league's top statistical categories including passer rating (113.0) and passing yards per attempt (9.6), fourth in completion percentage (69.4) and fifth in passing yards (4,280). His 4,280 passing yards set a single-season record, surpassing the previous record held by quarterback Jeff Garcia. Purdy's production in 2023 earned him Pro Bowl honors and resulted in the second-year quarterback racking up the most votes of any player in the league.
The FedEx Air and Ground NFL Players of the Week awards have been a weekly performance honor for quarterbacks and running backs over the last three decades. After a player is nominated, weekly winners are selected by fans via an online vote. For the 2023-2024 NFL season, the award sponsor will work with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to make donations of $2,000 in the name of the winning quarterback and running back ($4,000 total) to Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country.
