Mike Vrabel Could Have Six Fellow Contenders For Coach Of The Year Award

Mike Vrabel was a popular preseason pick for the NFL’s Coach of the Year award and has been one of the frontrunners for the hardware nearly all season.

With just one game before the playoffs, the AFC East locked up and the conference’s No. 1 seed still up for grabs, the New England Patriots’ first-year head coach is still very much one of the strongest contenders for the honor.

While some other previous frontrunners like Shane Steichen of the Indianapolis Colts and Todd Bowles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fallen out of the race, much of Vrabel’s main competition remains the same.

Still battling the Patriots for the AFC’s lone first-round bye are the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars and thus, Sean Payton and Liam Coen, respectively, are two of the top contenders for the Coach of the Year award.

Zak Keefer of The Athletic broke down Vrabel’s competition for the award on Monday, including both Coen and Payton, as well as Houston Texans leader DeMeco Ryans in the AFC. The main contenders from the NFC, according to Keefer, are the Chicago Bears’ Ben Johnson, Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers and Mike Macdonald from the Seattle Seahawks.

“From 4-13 to 13-3, Vrabel has accomplished the same thing in New England, changing the entire outlook for a franchise in a matter of months,” Keefer wrote. “The Patriots became a bottom dweller in Bill Belichick’s final few seasons, then Jerod Mayo’s lone year, winning just eight combined games from 2023 to 2024. New England was picking in the top five of April’s draft. Heading into Week 18, it’s in contention for the AFC’s top seed.”

The ex-linebacker is a former winner of the award, earning the honor following the 2021 campaign with the Tennessee Titans.

Payton is the only other competition who’s previously taken the prize, as the 62-year-old captured the award following the 2006 season with the New Orleans Saints.