While the Super Bowl is set for Sunday, there are other NFL events scheduled. The annual NFL Honors ceremony is on Thursday night, where we find out the winners of all the major awards. Outside of the popular awards like MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year, there is also the Coach of the Year.
This season, more than any in recent memory, there is a long list of coaches you could make a case for to win Coach of the Year. However, the one coaching in the Super Bowl may stand out amongst the rest. New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel is a finalist for Coach of the Year, and looks to be the favorite heading into Thursday Night.
Patriots Insider Shares Update on Mike Vrabel
Even though the award winners will not be announced until 9 p.m. ET, the votes have already been tallied. Someone knows the winners of each award, and the winners may be leaked before they are announced. That might be the case with the Coach of the Year, as Patriots insider Ben Volin took to X to say, “Sounds like Vrabel might be adding some hardware to his collection tonight.”
That message suggests Vrabel will be named Coach of the Year, as he will add the trophy to his collection tonight. The three-time Super Bowl champion is much deserving of the Coach of the Year award as he led the Patriots to 14 wins in his first season with the team.
Sounds like Vrabel might be adding some hardware to his collection tonight
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) February 5, 2026
This was an 11-win improvement from last season. It did not take him long to make a significant impact on his former team. He brought toughness and discipline to his team, which is largely why they will be playing on Sunday.
Coaching is everything in the NFL, and when you have the right guy in place, it does not take long to become successful. Not only has Vrable done a great job, but so has the staff that he put into place.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has unlocked their offense and second-year quarterback Drake Maye. According to PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric, New England’s offense finished the regular season as the second-best in the league. Maye is a finalist for league MVP, and his improvement from year one to year two was immense.
All the pieces have fallen into place for the Patriots, and that is why they find themselves back in the Super Bowl. As hard as it may be for people to hear, it did not take long for the Patriots to return to the NFL’s elite.
