Mike Vrabel tabbed as Coach of the Year by NFL high-ranking executives

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Mike Vrabel tabbed as Coach of the Year by NFL high-ranking executives

Lauren Campbell · MassLive

Wed, Dec 24, 2025 ·

2 min read

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Mike Vrabel has helped change the Patriots culture in his first season as coach.

And it’s not going unnoticed by high-ranking executives in the NFL.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero released his annual awards survey that is compiled of 30 executives from every team, and Vrabel was chosen as Coach of the Year.

Vrabel earned 13 votes, seven more than second-place finisher and Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson.

Here is the explanation :

“It has been an instant turnaround in New England , where the Patriots are 12-3, playoff-bound and in the mix for the AFC’s No. 1 seed after winning eight games over the previous two years combined. No surprise, considering Vrabel, the 2021 AP Coach of the Year, engineered a similarly speedy turnaround in his first head coaching job in Tennessee. The offense and defense that ranked 30th and 22nd in points per game last season, respectively, now are seventh in each category. Drake Maye is playing like an MVP candidate. Vrabel has flipped the Patriots’ culture basically overnight and is fully in command on game days.”

After consecutive 4-13 seasons and a failed 2024 under Jerod Mayo — who lasted just one year — Vrabel has shifted the culture and helped New England return to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

Vrabel can help lead the Patriots to their first AFC East division title since 2019 on Sunday with a win against the New York Jets and a Buffalo Bills loss to the Philadelphia Eagles .

While many have pointed to the Patriots’ schedule as a big reason for their success , Vrabel wasn’t afraid to make sweeping changes to the roster and gets the most out of his players whether they’re weekly starters or on the practice squad.

Vrabel was the only member of the Patriots to receive recognition. While Drake Maye has put himself in the MVP conversation , that honor went to Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.

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