The NFL season is sneaking up quickly! If you haven’t already started placing those NFL futures bets, now is as good a time as any to get started. Let’s take a look at the 2026 NFL Best Bets: Coach of the Year odds, trends, and past winners.
The NFL Coach of the Year award has trended towards being awarded to a coach who turns a team around or finishes well above expectations. That was once again the case in 2025 as New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel took home the award after a shocking turnaround season for the Patriots, which landed them in the Super Bowl. Will that trend continue, and who do the odds suggest we should bet on?
Past Winners Over the Last 10 Years
2016 Jason Garrett
2017 Sean McVay
2018 Matt Nagy
2019 John Harbaugh
2020 Kevin Stefanski
2021 Mike Vrabel
2022 Brian Daboll
2023 Kevin Stefanski
2024 Kevin O’Connell
2025 Mike Vrabel
2026 COTY Odds
Jesse Minter +650
John Harbaugh +850
Joe Brady +1300
Kevin Stefanski +1400
Kellen Moore +1400
Ben Johnson +1500
Brian Schottenheimer +1600
Robert Saleh +1700
Jim Harbaugh +1900
Klint Kubiak +2000
DeMeco Ryans +2000
Dan Campbell +2200
Liam Coen +2200
Zac Taylor +2500
Kyle Shanahan +2500
Dan Quinn +2700
Mike McCarthy +2700
Kevin O’Connell +2700
Shane Steichen +2700
Todd Moken +2700
Aaron Glenn +3000
Sean McVay +3300
Dave Canales +3300
Mike Macdonald +3300
Matt LeFleur +3300
Mike LeFleur +3500
Jeff Hafley +3500
Todd Bowles +5000
Andy Reid +6000
Nick Sirianni +6500
Mike Vrabel +8000
Sean Payton +8000
2026 NFL Best Bets: Coach of the Year Odds, Trends, and Past Winners
Kevin Stefanski +1400
Stefanski is no stranger to this award, winning it twice (2020 & 2023). If his every three-year trend holds, he’s due in 2026. All jokes aside, the main thing I’m looking for as I scroll down the odds board is who is someone that is capable of winning on a team that not everyone expects to be good? Stefanski is the first coach who jumps off the board for me. The Falcons are a so-so team that nobody really expects to be good or bad. However, Stefanski has proven he can take bad teams, as he did time and time again with the Browns, and get the most out of them.
We’re just a couple of years removed from Tua Tagovailoa leading the NFL in passing yards in 2023. The weapons are there on offense, London, Pitts, and both Robinson running backs. If Stefanski can get the best out of Tua and that offense, watch out. Their defense finished second in the league in sacks last year, and in 2026, they have a lot of potential. There are many unknowns in the NFC South, but if the Falcons can have a breakout year, Stefanski could easily win this award again. At 14/1, he’s worth the bet.
Kevin O’Connell +2700
The Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell is another former winner (2024) who could easily put his name on this list for a second time. Like Stefanski, O’Connell has proven a few times that he can do more with less. When he won in 2024, the Vikings had lost Kirk Cousins, and their supposed new star quarterback, JJ McCarthy, was injured and didn’t play. O’Connell turned Sam Darnold into a superstar and got him the big deal that led to him winning a Super Bowl with the Seahawks.
Now, also like Stefanski, he has a “washed-up” quarterback in Kyler Murray. Like Tua, Murray has shown the ability to get the job done, but has soured in the mind of the public. If the quarterback whisperer Kevin O’Connell can make Kyler look like Darnold and breathe life into the Vikings, he’d be a top candidate for the award. If it’s not Murray, O’Connell turns McCarthy, known by his not-good alter ego NINE. Into something that looks amazing, it’s another path to the award. Maybe it’s splitting time between them that results in a good record. Finish above expectations, it’s something O’Connell is good at. Well worth the wager at 27/1.
Andy Reid +6000
The longshots get tough. These guys are long shots for a reason and are much less likely to take home this award. But if we want to pursue one, why not the Kansas City Chiefs’ Andy Reid? He may have to start the season with Justin Fields at quarterback. We don’t know how long it will take for Patrick Mahomes to return. Let’s say there isn’t a standout coach; everyone performs to the level they are kind of expected. The Chiefs either get the #1 seed or fight through weeks of no Mahomes, keeping their heads afloat. We all know Reid is nearing the end of his time. If the stars align, this might be the last chance to toss the 2002 winner of the award one more win. If he’s going to get it again, coming off a season like 2025, 2026 would be the best time to give it to him.
