Every year, the NFL crowns its MVP with a legacy-defining award that typically honors one player.But in some years, there simply isn't a clear-cut MVP candidate that garners a majority of the vote. When that happens, it can lead to some wild outcomes.That appears to be what the 2023 NFL MVP race is trending toward. Brock Purdy remains the frontrunner, but if voters are reluctant to give him full credit for his succe s in San Francisco's loaded offense, there are several other quarterbacks to which they could turn. Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott and Josh Allen are on the shortlist among those vying to unseat Purdy atop the rankings.But so too is one of Purdy's teammates, Christian McCaffrey. The NFL's top running back has starred throughout the 2023 season and has earned the highest praise from Purdy throughout the season."I think Christian should be MVP," Purdy said after the 49ers' win over the Cardinals in Week 15, per . "I really do believe that. He does everything for us ... and so in my eyes that's an MVP."So, which 49ers Taylor Rogers Jersey player should win MVP? That's a matter of opinion, but there's a chance that both of them could emerge as the NFL's most valuable players.The NFL hasn't frequently awarded a co-MVP award, but it has happened before. In both instances, two players tied in the voting and rather than hold a run-off vote, the NFL decided to honor both players.MORE: Could Kennys Vargas Jersey that happen again in 2023? Here's a breakdown of the history of co-MVPs and why that may be the most sensible outcome for this year's MVP race.Has there been co-MVPs in the NFL?Only twice in the NFL's history has the league awarded co-MVPs for a season. Below is a look at the NFL's two shared MVP awards, the first of which came in 1997. Year Players 1997 Brett Favre (Packers) and Barry Sanders (Lions) 2003 Peyton Manning (Colts) and Steve McNair (Titans)1997 NFL MVPs: Brett Favre and Barry SandersIn 1997, Packers quarterback Brett Favre and Lions running back Barry Sanders were named co-MVPs after they each garnered 18 votes for the award, or 37.5 percent of the votes in total.Favre finished the season having completed 59.3 percent of his pa ses for 3,867 yards, a league-high 35 pa sing touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He led the Packers to a 13-3 record and eventual to a Super Bowl lo s against John Elway's Broncos.Favre was more than happy to share the award, his third consecutively, with Sanders.''What Barry has done has obviously been typical Barry, but even more so,'' Favre said at the time, per . ''He's an amazing player. I'm honored to be voted again and to be with him, because he's a great player.''Indeed, Sanders posted the best season of his career, Jorge Polanco Jersey racking up a league-high 2,053 rushing yards and challenging Eric Dickerson's rushing record. At the time, he was just the third player to reach that feat, along with Dickerson and O.J. Simpson, and his 6.1 yards per carry during that season remain the highest by a running back to reach that plateau.Like Favre, Sanders became the first running back since Thurman Thomas in 1991 to be named NFL MVP. He also was proud to be crowned alongside the three-time-reigning MVP Favre.''I gue s it puts me in elite company,'' Sanders said at the time.MORE: 2003 NFL MVPs: Peyton Manning and Steve McNairJust six years after Favre and Sanders were crowned co-MVPs, the same fate befelled Manning and McNair.Manning was coming off a prolific season with the Colts that saw him lead the league in completion percentage (67) and pa sing yards (4,267) while adding 29 touchdowns compared to just 10 interceptions. It marked his first-ever MVP win and he would go on to win four more before calling it a career.Meanwhile, McNair racked up efficient pa sing numbers, completing 62.5 percent of his pa ses for 3,215 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions despite playing in just 14 games. He led the league with a 100.4 pa ser rating, 8.0 yards per attempt and added four rushing touchdowns to his total as well.Each player received 16 votes, or 32 percent of the ballots, to take home the shared award.It is great, McNair said when asked about taking home the honor by . My words cant expre s how I feel being co-MVP with another great quarterback like Peyton. Its very emotional right now for me that people look at me as being one of the top quarterbacks of the NFL, one of the top players, and a co-MVP.Manning echoed McNair's sentiments."To be sharing it with Steve, a player I have the most respect for and who has had a tremendous year, and to be ahead of guys like Tom Brady, whos a friend of mine, Anibal Sanchez Jersey and Jamal Lewis, a former teammate of mine at Tenne see who easily could have been there, as well, its tremendous," Manning said.MORE: Could Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey be co-MVPs?It certainly seems po sible that Purdy and McCaffrey could split the award. Both are posting prolific stats and each has the distinction of playing for the NFL's best team.Some may question whether voters would be willing to give a co-MVP to players on the same team. That's a worthwhile question, especially considering that neither Kurt Warner nor Marshall Faulk split the award while the two played for "The Greatest Show on Turf" Rams.That said, the two came close to tying during the 2001 MVP race, as Warner garnered 21.5 of the votes while Faulk received 17.5. So, those results show that it is at least within reason that Purdy and McCaffrey could tie for the top spot.Below is a look at where Purdy and McCaffrey's stats rank among the top players at their respective positions.Brock Purdy stats 2023Note: All stats through Week 15 of the 2023 NFL season; rank is among QBs. Stat Total Rank Comp. % 69.8 Phil Hughes Jersey 2nd Pa sing yards 3,795 2nd Pa sing TDs 29 1st Interceptions 7 T-20th Yards per attempt 9.9 1st Pa ser rating 119 1st QBR 76 1st PFF grade 86.9 5thChristian McCaffrey stats 2023Note: All stats through Week 15 of the 2023 NFL season; rank is among RBs. Stat Total Rank Carries 244 1st Rushing yards 1,292 1st Rushing TDs 13 2nd Yards per carry 5.3 3rd Receptions 57 2nd Receiving yards 509 1st Receiving TDs 7 1st PFF grade 91.3 2ndNFL MVP odds 2023While one could make the case for either Purdy or McCaffrey to be MVP, it's Purdy who is currently heavily favored to win the award.Entering Week 16, Purdy has odds of -230 to win his first MVP, according to . McCaffrey currently sits in third with odds of +550.Below is a look at the players with better than 30-1 odds of winning, per . Player Odds Brock Purdy -230 Lamar Jackson +525 Christian McCaffrey +550 Dak Prescott +750 Josh Allen +900 Tyreek Hill +2000 Jalen Hurts +2500 Patrick Mahomes +2500 Tua Tagovailoa +3000