Following a turnaround season unlike any other, Mike Vrabel has been recognized for his immediate impact as head coach of the New England Patriots.
Vrabel was named the 2025 AP NFL Coach of the Year at NFL Honors on Thursday night in San Francisco ahead of his team's appearance in Super Bowl LX on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
Vrabel prevailed in a close vote, finishing with 302 points (19 first-place votes). Jaguars HC Liam Coen came in second with 239 points (16), with Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald, Bears HC Ben Johnson and 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan rounding out the top five.
In his first season with New England, Vrabel led the Patriots to a 14-3 regular season record, a 10-win increase from the club's 2024 campaign (4-13) that is tied for the largest by a team with a new head coach in league history, per NFL Research.
Vrabel did it all with a shaken-up roster that included several new faces, multiple rookie starters and a second-year quarterback in Drake Maye, who blossomed in 2025 while leading an offense that finished second in points (28.8 points per game) and third overall (379.4 yards per game).
The Patriots defense also saw a great improvement under Vrabel, ranking fourth in points allowed (18.8) and eighth overall (295.2 YPG) in the NFL.
The 2025 Patriots notched a 10-game win streak from Weeks 4-13 while never seeing consecutive losses and didn't lose a single road game during the regular season, leading them to win the franchise's first AFC East title since 2019 and the conference's No. 2 seed.
Vrabel's arrival in New England this past offseason was celebrated as a homecoming: a former player who earned three Super Bowl rings with the Patriots returning as a head coach poised to lead the franchise back to success.
Of course, Vrabel's turnaround is ongoing, with the Patriots one win from the franchise's seventh Lombardi Trophy. He became the eighth coach all-time to reach a Super Bowl in his first season with a club, and his 17 games won so far in 2025 are tied for most all-time by a head coach in their first season with a team.
Thursday also marked the second time Vrabel has been awarded AP NFL Coach of the Year, an honor he first picked up in 2021 after leading the Tennessee Titans to the AFC's No. 1 seed.
