That's because the name he selected isn't actually a player. Burleson named a coach — the San Francisco 49ers' head coach, Kyle Shanahan.
Burleson notes that Shanahan had to deal with a lot during his first two seasons as an NFL head coach, like devastating injuries amid a complete roster overhaul.
Now, the 49ers sit atop the NFC West with a perfect 3-0 record.
"This year, we finally feel like we see exactly the reason why they hired Kyle Shanahan," Burleson said. "So MVP. He might not get Coach of the Year --"
That's when Burleson stopped and corrected himself.
"Actually, I'm not going to say that right now because they're undefeated," Burleson continued, "could win the NFC West, and right now, I'm going to go with the most valuable person in the NFL is Kyle Shanahan because when you use the word relevance, it's big in football because what we do is talk about the cool teams, the markets, right? The big cities, the bright lights.
"Right now, the Niners should be talked about way more, and you do a great job of doing it, [co-host Peter Schrager]. I want to highlight the coach because Kyle Shanahan, right now, is proving why he's one of the better minds in the business."
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