Quarterback Drake Maye has emerged as a legitimate MVP candidate at the midway point of the NFL season.
Yet the Coach of the Year race appears far less competitive, with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel standing as the clear frontrunner.
His impact has been undeniable in transforming a franchise that won just four games last season into a seven-win contender entering Week 10.
The turnaround extends across both sides of the ball.
New England’s offense has jumped from 30th to 7th in points scored, while the defense has climbed from 22nd to 6th overall.
Analyst Andy Hart singled out Mike Vrabel while talking about the Coach of the Year race during a recent WEEI Afternoon segment.
“Everything that Mike Vrabel has touched has turned to gold,” Hart said. “Mid-season Coach of the Year has to be Mike Vrabel.”
"Right now, I would say that Mike Vrabel is the coach of the year in the NFL" – @JumboHart pic.twitter.com/bY1NP5bQuT
— WEEI Afternoons (@WEEIAfternoons) November 6, 2025
Hart highlighted how Vrabel reshaped the defense into one of the league’s more reliable units after it struggled throughout last season.
Beyond schematic changes, Vrabel adjusted the team’s leadership structure by moving on from veteran voices and empowering newer players who responded immediately.
Hart also noted Vrabel’s connection with his roster, citing Stefon Diggs as a model teammate and recalling how Vrabel handed out game balls to struggling kicker Andres Borregales, who has since become one of the league’s best.
Vrabel previously won the award in 2021 with the Tennessee Titans.
The Patriots have had two previous head coaches receive the distinction: Bill Parcells in 1994 and Bill Belichick, who won it three times in 2003, 2007, and 2010.
Vrabel would become the third Patriots coach to achieve the recognition.
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