The Coach of the Year award had more deserving candidates than perhaps any other award announced Thursday night at NFL Honors.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel won it for the second time in his career, with 19 of 50 first-place votes and 302 total points. He beat out Jacksonville’s Liam Coen (239 points, 16 first-place votes), Seattle’s Mike Macdonald (191, eight), Chicago’s Ben Johnson (145, one) and San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan (140, six). Coen and Johnson, like Vrabel, directed big turnarounds; Macdonald led the Seahawks to the No. 1 seed in the NFC; and Shanahan’s team overcame a slew of injuries to come within a game of the No. 1 seed, losing to the Seahawks in Week 18.
He joins Chuck Knox (Rams, Bills, Seahawks), Bill Parcells (Giants, Patriots), Bruce Arians (Colts, Cardinals), Dan Reeves (Giants, Falcons), Don Shula (Colts, Dolphins) and George Allen (Rams, Washington) as coaches who have won the award with multiple franchises.
The Patriots named Vrabel their head coach before the 2025 season after the team went 4-13 in Jerod Mayo’s only season. New England was 13-4 this season and won the AFC East in Vrabel’s first season.
Vrabel also won the award in 2021 when he coached the Titans.
Bill Belichick won the award in 2010.
The awards announced at NFL Honors are only for results of the regular season, with voting conducted after Week 18.
The Jaguars set linebacker Devin Lloyd up for a contract year by declining his fifth-year option ahead of the 2025 season and Lloyd made the most of the chance to show his value to the league.
Lloyd was named a second-team All-Pro after recording 81 tackles, five interceptions, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery for the AFC South champions. With a projected franchise tag number of over $28 million for linebackers, Lloyd is likely to re-sign with the Jags or hit free agency as one of the top off-ball linebackers in March.
While speaking with NFL.com from the Pro Bowl this week, Lloyd said he has had “no talks” with the Jaguars yet and shared his thoughts about what he’d like to see happen come the offseason.
“I want to be where God wants me to be,” Lloyd said. “For me, being back in Jacksonville, my mom lives out there. You know, obviously, my lady is out there. You know, there are a lot of pros to being out there. And so, for me, it’s just about being in the right spot. Ultimately, that’s the No. 1 most important thing, being in the right spot.”
Lloyd’s play in Anthony Campanile’s defense this season is likely to create interest in his return to the Jaguars but the numbers will have to fit in order for him to pass on the chance to see what he could make on the open market.
The Jaguars added a pair of coaches to Liam Coen’s staff on Wednesday.
They announced the hiring of defensive pass game coordinator Mathieu Araujo and offensive run game coordinator Brian Picucci. The moves come a day after the team announced that offensive coordinator Grant Udinski and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile will be back for the 2026 season.
Araujo spent the last four seasons with the Dolphins and was the team’s cornerbacks coach for the last two years. He interviewed for the Jets defensive coordinator job, but they wound up hiring Araujo’s Miami colleague Brian Duker for the role.
Picucci was the offensive line coach for the Buccaneers in 2025 and their assistant line coach in 2024. Coen was the offensive coordinator in Tampa in 2024 and also worked with Coen at Kentucky in 2023.
Anthony Campanile is apparently no longer in the running to become Arizona’s next head coach.
The Jaguars announced on Tuesday that Campanile and Grant Udinski — the club’s defensive and offensive coordinators — will return to the team for 2026.
The club noted that both men agreed to terms, implying that both will receive extensions.
Campanile was interviewed for Arizona’s head coaching job. But Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur is undergoing an in-person interview for that job on Tuesday, and is a strong candidate to land in the role.
Udinski also had interviewed with the Browns and Bills in recent days. But Udinski took himself out of consideration for Cleveland’s job and Buffalo promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach on Tuesday.
Jacksonville won the AFC South with a 13-4 record in 2025, falling to Buffalo in the wild card round.
Grant Udinski will not be the next Browns head coach.
According to multiple reports, Udinski has withdrawn from consideration from Cleveland’s vacancy after agreeing to a new deal to remain Jacksonville’s offensive coordinator.
However, Udinski will still be able to pursue the Bills’ head coaching vacancy.
Udinski, 30, had interviewed with the Browns twice and was reportedly considered a finalist for the position.
Cleveland’s known remaining candidates include the team’s defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn, and Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase.
The Browns’ brass is reportedly in Los Angeles on Monday to interview Scheelhaase in person after the Rams fell in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.
Cleveland fired head coach Kevin Stefanski after six seasons earlier this month. Stefanski has since been named Falcons head coach.
