The Bears and Patriots have new coaches, and both are expected to be successful.
Mike Vrabel will take over in New England after Jerod Mayo was fired following just one season as the Patriots’ head coach.
Then, Chicago hired within the division this offseason, nabbing Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to take over its outfit.
Johnson created a dominant offense in Detroit during his tenure there, and the Bears are hoping the same formula will work in their building.
Check out the early odds for next season’s Coach of the Year at DraftKings Sportsbook as of July 9.
NFL Coach of the Year 2025 odds
Mike Vrabel: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)
Ben Johnson: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
Liam Coen: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Aaron Glenn: +1500 (bet $10 to win $160 total)
Pete Carroll: +1500 (bet $10 to win $160 total)
Dave Canales: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Sean Payton: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Jim Harbaugh: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
Matt LaFleur: +1900 (bet $10 to win $200 total)
Three of the four top names on the oddsboard are new faces in new places, including one returning veteran head coach. The other three are first-time head coaches.
Oddsmakers see Vrabel as the favorite to win Coach of the Year in 2025.
As a player, Vrabel won three rings with the Patriots and is a member of the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.
As a head coach, he spent six seasons with the Tennessee Titans, from 2018-2023, compiling a 54-45 overall record.
The Titans made three playoff appearances under Vrabel before enduring losing seasons in each of his final two years with the franchise.
Ben Johnson details what he expects from Caleb Williams this season
Another new coaching name is Johnson heading into next season.
Johnson spent the last three seasons as offensive coordinator for the Lions, and during that time, the Detroit offense became a juggernaut.
It finished fourth in total offense in 2022 (380), third in 2023 (394.8) and second in 2024 (409.5). In addition, the Lions led the league in points per game (33.2) this past season.
Now, Johnson will join forces with the No. 1 pick from the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams. And according to the Bears’ new head coach, he and his new QB are already finding a rhythm when it comes to communication.
The Bears have finished last in the NFC North in each of the last three seasons, putting together an overall record of 15-36 over that time span.
After beginning last season 4-2, Chicago went 1-10 over its last 11 games.
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