NFL Coach of the Year 2025-26 Award Winner, Voting Results and Reaction

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has won the NFL's Coach of the Year award, as announced on Thursday during the NFL Honors program in San Francisco.

Vrabel was not in attendance, as he's getting his Pats prepared for Super Bowl LX on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. He still had time to deliver a taped speech shown to the audience at the Palace of Fine Arts and folks watching at home.

Pats players showered Vrabel with praise and congratulations.

The other finalists were Liam Coen of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mike Macdonald of the Seattle Seahawks, Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears and Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers.

This was a fairly close race, with Vrabel earning 19 of 50 first-place votes. Coen finished second, and Macdonald took third.

Folks reacted to the decision.

The Patriots finished 4-13 in 2024 and fired Jerod Mayo after one season at the helm. New England then hired an old friend in the 50-year-old Vrabel, who spent eight of his 14 NFL seasons as a linebacker with the Patriots and won three Super Bowls.

During the offseason, New England loaded up in free agency, adding a host of talents including wide receiver Stefon Diggs, linebackers Harold Landry and Robert Spillane and defensive lineman Milton Williams.

Vrabel's coaching and the team's new personnel additions joined some leftover talent in town, including quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Maye was sensational in 2025, earning himself strong NFL MVP consideration.

Ultimately, everything came together for the Pats, who went 14-3, won the AFC East and earned the conference's No. 2 playoff seed. Most notably, the Pats went from finishing 30th in the NFL in scoring to No. 2.

Vrabel had enjoyed coaching success before. He led the Tennessee Titans from 2018-2023 and guided the team to a 54-45 record, including three straight playoff appearances and two AFC South titles.

Now Vrabel has brought New England back to prominence in just one season, and he's received a well-deserved individual honor in recognition of his efforts.

Vrabel hopes to cap this season with a Super Bowl win when his Pats play the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.