NFL Coach of the Year Preseason Odds, Best Bets

(Editor’s note: This article is from The Spun by Athlon Sports’ 2025 Football Betting Guide — the perfect preseason reference companion for new bettors or sharps alike. Order your copy today online, or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.)

NFL Coach of the Year (COY) is an “exceeds expectations” award that requires one of two unofficial conditions to be met.

The first, and most common, is for a non-playoff team from the previous year significantly improving while making the postseason. Last year’s winner, Kevin O’Connell, is a prime example of what a COY campaign looks like, as his Vikings finished 14-3 after finishing 7-10 in 2023. It was an outcome few outside of Minnesota could have imagined.

The other condition is when a team overcomes a tremendous amount of adversity, most commonly an abnormal rash of injuries. In 2021, Mike Vrabel won COY despite Tennessee finishing 11-5 and winning the AFC South the previous year. Eleven wins usually eliminates coaches from COY contention the following year. However, the 12-5 Titans nabbed the top seed in the AFC, despite setting an NFL record for players fielded in a season (91); they surpassed the previous mark with seven weeks left in the season.

Without the luxury of a crystal ball, we can’t bet on teams to overcome injuries, but we can look at coaches of non-playoff teams that have a path to the postseason this year. Here are five we’re eyeing in the preseason:

Mike Vrabel, Patriots (+750)

Vrabel is among the 2025 COY favorites with +750 odds on FanDuel. That’s not a great price, but the Patriots open the season with a soft schedule: vs. Las Vegas, at Miami, vs. Pittsburgh and vs. Carolina before a Sunday night trip to Buffalo in Week 5. If Vrabel wins his second COY, a 3-1 start might be a requirement. If you’re going to bet him, do it now before his odds likely get shorter in the first quarter of the season.

Ben Johnson, Bears (+650)

Johnson is the favorite in this race. The former Lions offensive coordinator inherits a playoff-caliber roster in Chicago. Like Vrabel, he’s a traditional COY contender taking over a struggling team that’s positioned to improve. However, the NFC North is arguably the league’s best division, and there is no real value in betting Johnson now at his current price. However, Chicago opens the season against Minnesota and Detroit, so there might be opportunities to get Johnson at better odds heading into Week 3.

Liam Coen, Jaguars (+1000) and Dave Canales, Panthers (+1400)

Coen and Canales both have former
No. 1 overall picks at quarterback and are in very winnable divisions. Making things interesting is the fact their teams face each other on opening day. The Week 1 winne r will likely have COY odds below 10/1 heading into Week 2.

Brian Callahan, Titans (+3000)

Callahan has the longest odds of any traditional COY candidate with a realistic path to victory. Like Jacksonville, Tennessee isn’t drawing dead at a division title in the weak AFC South. However, if you’re going to bet on Callahan, you may want to wait until Week 3, as the Titans open at Denver before hosting the Rams in Week 2. Tennessee’s schedule gets much softer from there, where Callahan’s COY odds could significantly dip if the Titans start 0-2 as expected.

Here are the updated odds for NFL Coach of the Year, courtesy of betMGM (editor’s note: these odds are updated from what appears in the magazine):