Mike Vrabel wins Coach of the Year at NFL Honors after leading stunning Patriots turnaround
After leading a stunning turnaround in his first year with the franchise where he won three Super Bowls as a player, Mike Vrabel was rewarded Thursday as NFL Coach of the Year winner.
Vrabel was announced as the winner of the award during the NFL Honors ceremony, which was televised Thursday night.
The ceremony was held at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California, not far from the site of this weekend's Super Bowl between Vrabel's Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.
Vrabel's opponent on Sunday, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, was one of the candidates that he topped in the voting. In addition to Macdonald, Vrabel defeated Ben Johnson of the Bears, Jaguars' Liam Coen, and San Francisco's Kyle Shanahan.
Vrabel was not in attendance to receive the award as the Patriots are preparing for the Super Bowl. Instead, he recorded a video acceptance speech that was played during the broadcast.
"Ultimately my name will go on this award, but this award belongs to a building, it belongs to a staff, and ultimately it belongs to the men in the locker room who believed when they couldn't always see it," Vrabel said.
The Patriots fired first-year head coach Jerod Mayo after last season's disappointing 4-13 campaign. With Mayo gone, New England turned to Vrabel, who was fired by the Tennessee Titans in 2024.
Vrabel spent the 2024 season as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns, then took head coaching interviews before landing with the team where he was a linebacker from 2001-2008.
With Vrabel at the helm and quarterback Drake Maye blossoming into a star, the Patriots expedited their rebuilding process.
The team went 14-3 in the regular season, winning the AFC East title and sealing the No. 2 seed in the AFC. In the postseason, the Patriots then beat the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans, and Denver Broncos to reach the Super Bowl.
Josh McDaniels wins Assistant Coach of the Year
Vrabel was not the only Patriots coach honored Thursday night. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels won the Assistant Coach of the Year award.
Voting for the awards took place after the regular season but before the playoffs began.
All of the Associated Press awards are announced during NFL Honors, as well as the new Pro Football Hall of Fame class that included legendary Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri.
The Patriots and Seahawks play Sunday at 6:30 p.m. in Super Bowl LX. The game is being played at Levi's Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers.