{"id":19538,"date":"2026-06-10T14:44:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T14:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?p=19538"},"modified":"2026-06-10T14:46:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T14:46:20","slug":"2026-nfl-awards-how-to-bet-coach-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-awards-how-to-bet-coach-of-the-year","title":{"rendered":"2026 NFL Awards: How to Bet on Coach of the Year Since We Know Mike Vrabel Isn\u2019t Repeating \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>We resume our look at the 2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\">NFL<\/a> awards with the Coach of the Year market, led by some connected names at the top as Jesse Minter (Ravens) is hoping to do a job on par with his former mentor John Harbuagh, who is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-coach-cycle-grades-new-hires\">taking over<\/a> with the New York Giants. Cronyism is always strong in NFL coaching circles. Meanwhile, Mike Vrabel (Patriots) is almost certainly not going to repeat as Coach of the Year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2025 winner has proven to be very controversial. I never thought Vrabel deserved the award in the first place for beating up on one of the easiest schedules in NFL history while Liam Coen led <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/teams\/jax\/2025.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a Jacksonville team<\/a> from 4-13 to 13-4 in his first season as a head coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The final vote was close too as Vrabel won the award with 19 votes to 16 for Coen. Mike Macdonald (8), Kyle Shanahan (6), and Ben Johnson (1) received the other first-place votes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But we now know that Vrabel\u2019s biggest fan\/stan\/wham-bam-thank-you-ma\u2019am was NFL reporter <strong>Dianna Russini<\/strong>, who was a frequent mouthpiece for Vrabel in her reporting over the years as has been detailed since the accounts of their alleged affair <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/04\/07\/celebrity-news\/new-england-patriots-mike-vrabel-and-top-ny-times-nfl-reporter-dianna-russini-hold-hands-and-hug-at-luxury-hotel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">surfaced in April<\/a>. The saga played out like a soap opera before Russini resigned, and Vrabel had an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.profootballnetwork.com\/nfl-world-calls-out-mike-vrabel-counseling-amid-constant-contact-patriots-draft-room\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">awkward leave of absence<\/a> during the final day of April\u2019s NFL draft to get counseling for his marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The NFL won\u2019t be disciplining Vrabel over the affair, but it sure was a conflict of interest that Russini has been an Associated Press voter who had one of the 50 votes on Coach of the Year in the past, and she\u2019s someone who could champion for Vrabel in the media to win such an award as well as voting for Drake Maye for MVP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can assume Russini has lost any voting privileges for 2026, but with allegations that this type of <a href=\"https:\/\/theblast.com\/795957\/crissy-froyd-secret-dianna-russini-scandal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reporter-coach impropriety<\/a> is nothing new in NFL circles, now you wonder just how many coaches are currying favor with voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember when longtime Jacksonville reporter Lynn Jones caught some flak for giving Liam Coen an encouraging, heartfelt message after the team\u2019s playoff loss in January that went viral?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Lynn Jones of the Jacksonville Free Press News gave Liam Coen his flowers after the Jaguars&#39; Wild Card loss to the Bills \ud83e\udd79<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/khymRJ1MTH\">pic.twitter.com\/khymRJ1MTH<\/a><\/p>&mdash; DraftKings (@DraftKings) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DraftKings\/status\/2010481277024030889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 11, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Crazy to think that was considered inappropriate behavior between a coach and reporter as recently as January. But the good news from this is that Vrabel has the worst odds (+8000 at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.betus.com.pa\/sportsbook\/nfl\/futures\/nfl-season-awards\/#coach-of-the-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">BetUS<\/a>) to win Coach of the Year in 2026, so you can fully expect someone new to win the award, and hopefully someone that isn\u2019t <em>inside an insider<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[John Oliver voice]: And now, this. We already have analyzed the top rookies on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-awards-offensive-rookie-of-the-year\">offense<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-awards-defensive-rookie-of-the-year\">defense<\/a>, and we\u2019ve made our favorite picks for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-awards-offensive-player-of-the-year\">Offensive Player of the Year<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-awards-defensive-player-of-the-year\">Defensive Player of the Year<\/a> (before the Myles Garrett trade to Los Angeles). We also looked at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-awards-comeback-player-of-the-year\">Comeback Player of the Year<\/a> and why Patrick Mahomes should win it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s break down the coaching market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#nfl-coach-of-the-year-betting-trends\">NFL Coach of the Year Betting Trends<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#2026-nfl-coach-of-the-year-top-candidates\">2026 NFL Coach of the Year Top Candidates<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#veterans-trying-to-elevate-their-new-team-to-the-playoffs\">Veterans Trying to Elevate Their New Team to the Playoffs<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#rookie-coaches\">Rookie Coaches<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#we-missed-the-playoffs-last-year-please-forgive-me\">We Missed the Playoffs Last Year, Please Forgive Me<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#candidates-for-best-record-top-seed\">Candidates for Best Record\/Top Seed<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#final-thoughts-on-nf-ls-coach-of-the-year-award\">Final Thoughts on NFL\u2019s Coach of the Year Award<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nfl-coach-of-the-year-betting-trends\">NFL Coach of the Year Betting Trends<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Famously, the NFL\u2019s Coach of the Year award often goes to someone who takes a non-playoff team to the playoffs. The award has come under criticism in recent years for awarding someone who overcame the lowest expectations instead of someone legitimately doing the best coaching job as evident by coaches like Bill Belichick and Andy Reid not frequently winning the award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Long-term success hasn\u2019t been great for the coach after winning this award lately as Matt Nagy (2018 Bears), John Harbaugh (2019 Ravens), Kevin Stefanski (2020 and 2023 Browns), Mike Vrabel (2021 Titans), and Brian Daboll (2022 Giants) were all fired from their jobs, most within four seasons since the award was won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But with 10 new coaching positions this year, there\u2019s a good chance someone will win it for improving a team that missed the playoffs in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, here\u2019s the breakdown of the last 41 winners since 1985 and what usually gets rewarded:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>16 non-rookie coaches improved a bad team to the playoffs (Last: Mike Vrabel with 2025 Patriots)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>12 rookie coaches took a non-playoff team to the playoffs in his first year (Last: Brian Daboll with 2022 Giants)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>11 coaches led a team to the best record\/top seed (Last: Mike Vrabel with 2021 Titans)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2 non-rookie coaches improved a bad team (Lindy Infante with 1989 Packers and Jimmy Johnson with 1990 Cowboys)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>From these numbers, just under 30% of winners were rookie coaches, so you shouldn\u2019t assume they\u2019ll want to give it to one of the first-time coaches. But that idea of improving a bad team does account for over 75% of the winners, so that is usually the best way to expect a winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2026-nfl-coach-of-the-year-top-candidates\">2026 NFL Coach of the Year Top Candidates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We already know we\u2019re fading Mike Vrabel for obvious reasons besides his league-worst +8000 odds, but we would have said to fade him even if no affair allegations came out this offseason.&nbsp; This award is almost impossible to win in consecutive years, and the Patriots are a ripe regression candidate since the schedule should be harder in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With that said, since we had the stats breaking down coaches into types based on their experience level and the quality of team they\u2019re coaching, we thought we\u2019d group them together that way to go over the odds and who offers value and who to fade. We have four distinct groups for 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All odds are from BetUS as of June 10, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"438\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/NFLCoach26-1024x438.jpeg\" alt=\"2026 NFL Coach of the Year Odds\" class=\"wp-image-19539\" style=\"width:800px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/NFLCoach26-1024x438.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/NFLCoach26-300x128.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/NFLCoach26-768x328.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/NFLCoach26-1536x656.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/NFLCoach26.jpeg 1919w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"veterans-trying-to-elevate-their-new-team-to-the-playoffs\">Veterans Trying to Elevate Their New Team to the Playoffs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The following coaches are experienced, but they find themselves with a new team for 2026 that didn\u2019t have a good ending in 2025:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>John Harbaugh, Giants (+550)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Robert Saleh, Titans (+1000)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mike McCarhty, Steelers (+1400)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kevin Stefanski, Falcons (+1400)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019d take this group over the field if I could. You have the odds-on favorite in John Harbaugh, who should bring discipline to a talented defense that drafted more talent with Arvell Reese and Colton Hood to go along with the second season for Abdul Carter. Jaxson Dart could always take off in Year 2 at quarterback after getting Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Harbaugh needed a change of scenery in Baltimore after 18 seasons. The NFC East is in flux and could be winnable if Dart really takes his game to the next level, and I don\u2019t love the hiring of offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, but they could have done worse. Harbaugh is an understandable favorite given his success with 12 postseasons in 18 years, and he only has one year under 8 wins when Joe Flacco tore his ACL in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s also a reason to like Robert Saleh getting his second shot after he Jets didn\u2019t work out in Tennessee, a team that\u2019s added a lot of new players, and Brian Daboll could be a decent offensive coordinator for second-year quarterback Cam Ward, who has Carnell Tate as his new WR1. I might sooner go for the Titans to win the AFC South (+850) odds because Ward could disproportionally get the credit for this improvement, but I get the Saleh odds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mike McCarthy in Pittsburgh shows the Steelers finally doing something different after 19 years of Mike Tomlin. He never had a losing season but he also hasn\u2019t won a playoff game since the 2016 season. With McCarthy, there at least feels like a boom-or-bust potential here with reuniting him and Aaron Rodgers in his final season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Atlanta, Kevin Stefanski was one of the best hires in 2026. He\u2019s won this award twice in Cleveland, and he\u2019ll finally have great weapons again with Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson. Quarterback is iffy, but between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr., I expect Stefanski to make something work, and the NFC South is obviously winnable too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2278939680-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19546\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2278939680-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2278939680-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2278939680-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2278939680-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2278939680-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Rich Graessle\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"rookie-coaches\">Rookie Coaches<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We have six first-time NFL head coaches this season. Some are taking over bad teams while some have a core they\u2019re quite familiar with and will try to elevate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Jesse Minter, Ravens (+750)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Joe Brady, Bills (+1200)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Klint Kubiak, Raiders (+1600)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Todd Monken, Browns (+1600)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jeff Hafley, Dolphins (+3500)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mike LaFleur, Cardinals (+3500)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, good luck to the bottom four as things could be rough in 2026. You\u2019re buried in good divisions, you don\u2019t really know who your quarterback is other than the future being Fernando Mendoza in Vegas, and we\u2019ll see if Malik Willis can get it done in Miami.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Arizona has no quarterback in the tough NFC West, the Browns are replacing Myles Garrett with Jared Verse (downgrade in 2026 but maybe a brighter future), and the Dolphins lost their wide receivers from last year. Fading all four of those.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, the Bills and Ravens moved on from their coaches, acknowledging they failed the Five-Year Rule with John Harbaugh and Sean McDermott. However, they didn\u2019t exactly go out of the box, especially with Buffalo just promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Josh Allen likes Brady, but he\u2019s also neutered some of the big plays in this offense with more running, short passes for YAC, and while it\u2019s helped Allen in some ways, we still saw him implode with turnovers in the Denver playoff loss. It\u2019s hard to see Brady improving the defense either as an offensive coach, so I\u2019m definitely fading him as Coach of the Year as these moves almost never work well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minter is a good hire, but we\u2019ll see how he differentiates himself from the Harbaughs as he coached under John with the Ravens in 2017-20. He was a defensive assistant\/defensive backs coach before going to Michigan and the Chargers as Jim Harbaugh\u2019s defensive coordinator where he had a lot of success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Ravens missed the playoffs on a Week 18 field goal miss last year, so if Lamar Jackson can stay healthy, they have a great shot to rebound right away and win the AFC North back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"678\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2280755911-1024x678.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19547\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2280755911-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2280755911-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2280755911-768x509.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2280755911-1536x1017.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2280755911-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Greg Fiume\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"we-missed-the-playoffs-last-year-please-forgive-me\">We Missed the Playoffs Last Year, Please Forgive Me<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are nine coaches who have experience but are trying to lift their non-playoff team to the tournament in 2026 after missing out last year together:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Kellen Moore, Saints (+1200)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Brian Schottenheimer, Cowboys (+1600)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dan Campbell, Lions (+2200)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Aaron Glenn, Jets (+2400)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Shane Steichen, Colts (+2500)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kevin O\u2019Connell, Vikings (+2600)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dan Quinn, Commanders (+2800)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Zac Taylor, Bengals (+3500)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Todd Bowles, Buccaneers (+4500)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of this group belongs on the hot seat for keeping their job in 2027 if things don\u2019t go well this year. Yeah, we\u2019re talking about Zac Taylor for sure in Cincinnati, but Aaron Glenn could be a two-and-done candidate in New York after going a whole first season without his defense getting an interception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a tough group to pick from since you\u2019re trying to fix problems you were already part of last year. Kevin O\u2019Connell could be a nice choice if the Vikings rebound with Kyler Murray at quarterback, though he\u2019s already won this award in 2024 when Dan Campbell probably deserved it more, and without a playoff win on his resume, voters might not be down for KOC getting a second COTY award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But we have been noting that the Bengals and Lions have favorable schedules that should help them return to the playoffs in 2026. However, Taylor doesn\u2019t get credit for much in Cincinnati, so I doubt he would if the team even went above expectations and won the No. 1 seed. That sounds more like Joe Burrow for MVP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But with Campbell losing the vote 24-19 in 2024, a bounce-back year for the Lions could be his first award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"candidates-for-best-record-top-seed\">Candidates for Best Record\/Top Seed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, these 13 coaches will have a shot at leading their teams to a top seed or the best record in the NFL this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Jim Harbaugh, Chargers (+1800)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ben Johnson, Bears (+2200)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Matt LaFleur, Packers (+2600)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Liam Coen, Jaguars (+2600)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kyle Shanahan, 49ers (+3000)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sean McVay, Rams (+3500)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dave Canales, Panthers (+3500)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>DeMeco Ryans, Texans (+3500)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Andy Reid, Chiefs (+5000)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mike Macdonald, Seahawks (+6000)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sean Payton, Broncos (+7500)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nick Sirianni, Eagles (+7500)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mike Vrabel, Patriots (+8000)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember, this is one of the weaker angles for winning this award as expectations are mostly high already for these teams. It\u2019s harder to exceed those expectations. Also, I just want to point out I don\u2019t think Dave Canales is competing for the best record with the Panthers. He just didn\u2019t fit in any other group and I didn\u2019t want to make a fifth only for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But people generally fade these coaches from winning the award. For example, if Sean Payton couldn\u2019t get a single first-place vote in 2025 for overtaking the Chiefs and winning the AFC West with a 14-3 record (No. 1 seed), then what could he possibly do with the same roster plus Jaylen Waddle this year to win it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Likewise, Mike Macdonald is coming off the Super Bowl win, which elevates him after his defense looked great, but short of going 15-2 or better when the Rams are favored in the NFC, it\u2019s hard to see him winning this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of the Rams, McVay hasn\u2019t won this award since his 2017 rookie year when he turned the Rams around. Since then, they\u2019ve done a lot of big trades for proven talent, and they\u2019ve done it again with Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett. Hard to see McVay winning it for those players playing well as you\u2019d expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m not sure Liam Coen and Ben Johnson can improve or even repeat their success last year. A lot of close wins, especially for the Bears, who trailed in the final 2:00 and won seven times, by far an NFL record. But hats off to Johnson if he can win the NFC North again with a more efficient Caleb Williams in Year 2 together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jim Harbuagh leading the way with +1800 odds here is interesting as the AFC West odds currently show the Chargers tied at +180 with the Chiefs, and the Broncos are third at +210. The Chargers really did in the Chiefs last year with a sweep in games that saw Xavier Worthy (in Brazil in Week 1) and Patrick Mahomes suffer serious injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Harbaugh\u2019s reputation (he won the award in 2011 with the 49ers) would help his case, but he\u2019d almost certainly have to win the AFC West and probably the top seed to get this win. If you like the Chargers that much, then him at +1800 might be the best odds you can get on something Chargers related. It\u2019s better than trusting them to win the Super Bowl at +1600 odds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"final-thoughts-on-nf-ls-coach-of-the-year-award\">Final Thoughts on NFL\u2019s Coach of the Year Award<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s summarize where things stand for the 2026 Coach of the Year award:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>John Harbaugh (+550) <\/strong>is a reasonable betting favorite with the Giants as his past success combined with a healthier roster and potential Year 2 quarterback elevation could win the NFC East.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Robert Saleh (+1000) and Kevin Stefanski (+1400) <\/strong>also offer good value as retreads in better situations, which is one of the best groups to draw from for this award.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We\u2019re fading four rookies in tough spots, including <strong>Klint Kubiak<\/strong> (Raiders), <strong>Jeff Hafley<\/strong> (Dolphins), <strong>Mike LaFleur<\/strong> (Cardinals), and <strong>Todd Monken<\/strong> (Browns).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While the Bills and Ravens finally made the switch at coach, Buffalo didn\u2019t change enough in promoting <strong>Joe Brady<\/strong>, so if we\u2019re backing a rookie to win the award, it has to be <strong>Jesse Minter (+750)<\/strong> in Baltimore.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While the 2026 schedules should help the Lions and Bengals get back on track in the playoffs, we know <strong>Zac Taylor<\/strong> won\u2019t get any credit for it. But <strong>Dan Campbell (+2200)<\/strong> hasn\u2019t won this award, and after being snubbed in 2024 for Kevin O\u2019Connell, this could be his year in Detroit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Coaches competing for the best record are unlikely to win the award for not significantly surpassing their high expectations, so we\u2019re <strong>fading the likes of Sean McVay, Mike Macdonald, and Sean Payton.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jim Harbuagh (+1800)<\/strong> has maybe his best chance to win the AFC West and win this award for the second time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fade <strong>Mike Vrabel (+8000)<\/strong> at all costs. In fact, we should get a refund in bonus bets for our Liam Coen 2025 futures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>But if I\u2019m picking one today to win Coach of the Year in 2026, I\u2019m going with Jesse Minter in Baltimore.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related Articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/russell-wilson-hall-of-fame-case\">The Russell Wilson Hall of Fame Case: Will It Look Better or Worse in 5 Years?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-awards-comeback-player-of-the-year\">2026 NFL Awards: How to Bet on Comeback Player of the Year<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-awards-defensive-player-of-the-year\">2026 NFL Awards: How to Bet on Defensive Player of the Year<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-awards-offensive-player-of-the-year\">2026 NFL Awards: How to Bet on Offensive Player of the Year<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-schedule-analysis\">2026 NFL Schedule Analysis: The NFL Hopes the Rams and Seahawks Are Good Boys for Christmas<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-awards-offensive-rookie-of-the-year\">2026 NFL Awards: How to Bet on Offensive Rookie of the Year<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-awards-defensive-rookie-of-the-year\">2026 NFL Awards: How to Bet on Defensive Rookie of the Year<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/history-nfl-quarterback-succession-plans\">The Poor History of NFL Quarterback Succession Plans: Why Ty Simpson Is Likely a Wasted Pick for the 2026 Rams<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/super-bowl-61-odds-after-2026-nfl-draft\">Super Bowl 61 Odds After 2026 NFL Draft: Did the Rams Really Do Enough?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-draft-recap-ty-simpson\">2026 NFL Draft Recap: Why the Rams Just Made the Worst First-Round Pick in Ty Simpson<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-mock-draft\">2026 NFL Mock Draft: Trying to Predict an Impossible First Round<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-draft-preview-cornerback\">2026 NFL Draft Preview: Who Snags Top Cornerback Mansoor Delane and Tennessee\u2019s Duo?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-draft-preview-safety\">2026 NFL Draft Preview: How High Should You Draft Safety Caleb Downs in Today\u2019s NFL?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-draft-preview-front-seven-edge\">2026 NFL Draft Preview: The Arvell Reese vs. David Bailey Debate Leads a Strong Front Seven Class<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-draft-preview-offensive-line\">2026 NFL Draft Preview: Finding Depth on the Offensive Line in a Deep Class<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-draft-preview-wide-receivers\">2026 NFL Draft Preview: Wide Receivers Offer Many Options But Is Carnell Tate the Best Choice?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-draft-preview-tight-end\">2026 NFL Draft Preview: Is Kenyon Sadiq as Good as It Gets at Tight End?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-draft-preview-running-backs\">2026 NFL Draft Preview: The Great Notre Dame Backfield Is Carrying the Load for This Year\u2019s Running Backs<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nfl-draft-preview-quarterbacks\">2026 NFL Draft Preview: Fernando Mendoza or Bust at the Critical Quarterback Position<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-2026-major-draft-need\">NFL 2026 Major Draft Need and Post-Free Agency Super Bowl 61 Odds<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-teams-one-piece-away-from-super-bowl\">NFL Teams One Piece Away from the Super Bowl: The Player Who Put Them Over the Top, 1994-2025<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-2026-free-agency-awards\">NFL 2026 Free Agency Awards: Honoring the Best and Worst Moves of the Week<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/all-time-nfl-quarterback-draft\">The All-Time NFL Quarterback Draft (Picks 1-32): Which Great Does Your Franchise Choose?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-qb-drive-stats-2025\">NFL Quarterback Drive Stats 2025: The Forgotten Value of Patrick Mahomes and Daniel Jones<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/best-with-zero-championships-mcdavid-allen\">The Best to Never Do It: The Precedent Behind Josh Allen, Connor McDavid, Luka Doncic, and Aaron Judge Having Zero Championships in 2026<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/super-bowl-quarterback-tiers-darnold\">Ranking the 36 Super Bowl-Winning Quarterbacks into Tiers: Where Does Sam Darnold Fit?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-quarterback-pressure-blitz-jump-pbj\">NFL Quarterbacks: Pressure-Blitz Jump (PBJ) and the Way to Win on Defense in 2026<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/predicting-nfl-starting-quarterbacks-2026\">Predicting the NFL Starting Quarterbacks for the 2026 Season<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-mvp-vote-how-to-value-modern-quarterback\">After a Close NFL 2025 MVP Vote, What Do People Even Value in a Quarterback These Days?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-2025-lessons-super-bowl-61-odds\">Lessons from the 2025 NFL Season, 2026 Storylines, and the Early Super Bowl 61 Odds<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/sam-darnold-patriots-curse-metlife-stadium\">Sam Darnold, the Patriots, and the Curse of MetLife Stadium (A Super Bowl 60 Story)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/worst-super-bowl-teams-nfl-history\">The Worst Super Bowl Teams in NFL History: Are the 2025 Patriots in the Mix?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2025-final-nfl-quarterback-rankings\">2025 Final NFL Quarterback Rankings: Matthew Stafford Is the MVP<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/patrick-mahomes-turns-30-best-there-is\">Patrick Mahomes Turns 30: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2025-nfl-award-best-bets\">2025 NFL Award Nominees and Best Bets: Can We Get a Good and Logical MVP Race?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We resume our look at the 2026 NFL awards with the Coach of the Year market, led by some connected names at the top as Jesse Minter (Ravens) is hoping to do a job on par with his former mentor John Harbuagh, who is taking over with the New York Giants. Cronyism is always strong &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":19547,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"No one has worse odds for 2026 NFL Coach of the Year than Mike Vrabel. But with 10 new coaches, will a Harbaugh win the award? Our picks.","rank_math_canonical_url":"","rank_math_focus_keyword":"NFL, Vrabel","rank_math_facebook_image":"","rank_math_robots":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[347,443,2356,1420,5388,411,4589,1689,5389,1440,3888,401,1397,1482,47,350,1410,1044,975,2265],"content-tags":[],"article_type":[3327,3329],"entity_type":[3335],"inspiration":[3337,3339],"class_list":["post-19538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl","tag-bills","tag-chargers","tag-coach-of-the-year","tag-dan-campbell","tag-dianna-russini","tag-giants","tag-jesse-minter","tag-jim-harbaugh","tag-joe-brady","tag-john-harbaugh","tag-liam-coen","tag-lions","tag-mike-mccarthy","tag-mike-vrabel","tag-nfl","tag-ravens","tag-robert-saleh","tag-sean-payton","tag-steelers","tag-zac-taylor","article_type-discover","article_type-news","entity_type-competitor","inspiration-365s-articles","inspiration-planned"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19538"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19549,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19538\/revisions\/19549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19538"},{"taxonomy":"content-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-tags?post=19538"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=19538"},{"taxonomy":"entity_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity_type?post=19538"},{"taxonomy":"inspiration","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/inspiration?post=19538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}