Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel Selected 2025 Pro Football Writers of America Coach of the Year

 

Mike Vrabel, who led the New England Patriots to a tie for the best record in the NFL, is the 2025 NFL Coach of the Year, chosen in voting conducted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).

Jan 22, 2026 at 01:01 PM

Mike Vrabel, who led the New England Patriots to a tie for the best record in the NFL, is the 2025 NFL Coach of the Year, chosen in voting conducted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).

Seattle president of football operations/general manager John Schneider, whose personnel moves helped the Seahawks earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, is the 2025 NFL Executive of the Year.

Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who oversaw a stingy defense that helped the Broncos capture the AFC's top playoff seed, is the 2025 NFL Assistant Coach of the Year.

Vrabel led the Patriots to a 14-3 record including a 10-game win streak from Weeks 4-13 in his first season coaching the franchise. He joins George Seifer (1989 San Francisco) and Jim Caldwell (2009 Indianapolis) as the only coaches to win 14 games in their first season with a franchise. The Patriots improved 10 games from the 4-13 finish in 2024, which ties for the best turnaround in NFL history (Indianapolis 1999 and 2008 Miami). New England had a +170-point differential (third in the NFL) and were second in the league with 490 points scored. The 6,449 total offense yards were third in the league, and the 22 rushing touchdowns were tied for fourth in the NFL. The defense allowed just 18.8 points per game (fourth in the NFL). Quarterback Drake Maye was selected to the PFWA's All-AFC team, while running back TreVeyon Henderson and placekicker Andy Borregales were selected to the PFWA's All-Rookie Team.

This is the second PFWA Coach of the Year honor for Vrabel as he won the 2021 award with the Tennessee Titans, and the eighth Coach of the Year award for the Patriots' franchise, as Vrabel joins Chuck Fairbanks (1976 AFC), Raymond Berry (1985 AFC), Ron Meyer (1987 AFC), Bill Parcells (1984) and Bill Belichick (2003, 2007 , 2010) as New England honorees.

Schneider's work helped the Seahawks to the NFC's No. 1 seed in 2025. Seattle was 14-3 this season, and the Seahawks won their first division title since 2020 while claiming the franchise's fourth No. 1 playoff seed. The 14 victories set a franchise record, and the Seahawks' eight road victories were also the most in their history. Seattle's draft success in recent seasons has solidified the on-field results. The players drafted by Schneider since 2023 who received 2025 PFWA honors include cornerback Devon Witherspoon (2023), an All-NFC selection, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (2023), the PFWA's Offensive Player of the Year and an All-NFL and All-NFC choice, and both safety Nick Emmanwori (2025) and guard Grey Zabel (2025), who were selected to the PFWA's All-Rookie Team. Schneider also added defensive tackle Leonard Williams in a 2023 trade, who became an All-NFL and All-NFC pick this season, and wide receiver Rashid Shaheed in a 2025 trade, who was named to the PFWA's 2025 All-NFC team as a punt returner. Schneider also drafted 2025 All-NFC punter Michael Dickson (2018). In free agency, the Seahawks made a key acquisition as the franchise signed quarterback Sam Darnold, who threw for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns.

This is the first PFWA Executive of the Year honor for Schneider and the Seahawks since the award was established in 1993.

Joseph completed his fifth season with the Broncos, and his third as defensive coordinator in 2025, after serving as Denver's head coach from 2017-18. The Broncos defense was third in average points allowed (18.3), led the league in sacks (68; tied for fifth-most in NFL history), held opponents to under 20 points 10 times, including five games when opposing offenses did not score a touchdown – a franchise record. The Denver defense also was stout in the red zone, holding opponents to a league-low 42.6 percent of touchdowns scored on red zone trips (20 of 47). Denver was second in total defense yards (278.2), second in rushing yards allowed (91.1) and passing yards allowed (187.2). Two of his defenders were PFWA honorees in 2025 as outside linebacker Nik Bonitto was an All-NFL and All-AFC choice, and cornerback Patrick Surtain II was an All-AFC selection.

Joseph is the second Broncos assistant to receive the PFWA award established in 1993, as he joins Wade Phillips (2015) as a Denver honoree.

2025 COACH OF THE YEAR: Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots

2025 EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR: John Schneider, Seattle Seahawks

2025 ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR: Vance Joseph, Denver Broncos

Aaron Kampman dispelled narrative that came with his roots, draft status

 

Aaron Kampman dispelled narrative that came with his roots, draft status

Defensive end recorded 37 sacks over three-year span

Jan 22, 2026 at 09:00 AM

Cliff Christl

Packers team historian

Former Packers DE Aaron Kampman

Aaron Kampman

Inducted: 2024

Defensive End: 2002-09

Height: 6-4; Weight: 260

College: Iowa, 1998-2001

Honors: Pro Bowl Selection (played from 2002-2011): 2006, '07

Typecast as strictly a try-hard guy coming out of college, Aaron Kampman spent much of his career trying to prove that the narrative was unfair. And unlike so many others who have been burdened by that same label, he finally succeeded.

When Kampman was selected by the Packers in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft, he was all but branded as a typical product of an Iowa program that had a reputation for churning out solid pros of good character but with limited ceilings. "I see him being a Billy Lyon type player," then coach and general manager Mike Sherman said on draft day, drawing a comparison between Kampman and the Packers' then fifth-year defensive lineman who had never been a starter but could plug a hole in a pinch at any of four positions.

Even after Kampman made back-to-back Pro Bowls in his fifth and sixth seasons, it took some convincing that his athletic skills weren't just a mirage but factored into his success as much as his many intangibles.

Over the last three seasons that Kampman played defensive end for the Packers, he had the third highest sack total in the NFL behind Dallas' DeMarcus Ware and Minnesota's Jared Allen, both of whom have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Ware had 45½ sacks over that stretch; Allen, 37½; and Kampman, 37.

Being part of such rarified company should have been proof of the obvious.

"Believe me, it takes more than just trying hard to get to the quarterback," said Carl Hairston, Packers defensive ends coach during those three seasons. "Athletically, Aaron is a lot better than he's given credit for. And he's one of the best technicians I've ever coached. He plays with great leverage, so he's able to get underneath a guy. You combine that with the way he studies and puts in time after practice, that's why he's successful."

In truth, Kampman was an afterthought in a highly touted defensive line class with eight first-round selections. The list included future Pro Football Hall of Famers Julius Peppers, the second overall pick, and Dwight Freeney, who was chosen 11th. In all, 24 D-linemen were drafted ahead of Kampman, who wasn't even invited to the NFL combine.

As it turned out, Peppers and Freeney finished their careers with 159½ and 125½ sacks, respectively. Kampman wound up with 58 [sacks], more than all but Peppers and Freeney among the 24 defensive linemen drafted ahead of him.

Here again, Kampman's production belied the scouting reports that downgraded him for lacking the necessary size to be a defensive tackle, the position where many teams had projected him, and for not being the kind of quick-twitch athlete the pros were seeking in their defensive ends.

Maybe some of that had to do with his hardscrabble roots.

Kampman grew up in Kesley, Iowa, an unincorporated farming community of roughly 80 people, and played at Aplington-Parkersburg High School, which had an enrollment of around 300 students. But it was there playing under longtime coach Ed Thomas, who groomed four future NFL players, where the seeds were planted for Kampman's pro career. At the next level, he played for coach Kirk Ferentz at Iowa, a fertile breeding ground for pro linemen on both sides of the ball.

"Everybody you talk to down there about him says he's going to lay it on the line for you, he'll play hard every snap," Packers then vice president of football operations Mark Hatley said of Kampman's Iowa roots at the time he was drafted.

As a rookie with the Packers, Kampman was inactive for the first three games but wound up starting six as an injury replacement for Vonnie Holliday at what was called a "power end" in then defensive coordinator Ed Donatell's system. In his second season, Kampman again became a starter at power end as the result of an injury – this time to high-priced free agent Joe Johnson six weeks into the season – and was able to convince the Packers that he was a keeper.

"He's a hard worker," said Jethro Franklin, the Packers' defensive line coach during Kampman's first three seasons. "He'll try to do everything right. He's a great student of the game and has some toughness. He's a good leader and has the right traits there."

Kampman also flashed big-play ability with three sacks in two playoff games.

Thereafter, Kampman's ascension to becoming a Pro Bowl player was on a fast track. In 2004, he started all 16 games for the first time, led the Packers' defensive linemen in tackles and registered 4½ sacks. He also impressed division rival Minnesota enough that it offered him a free agent contract that the Packers had to match to keep Kampman.

The next year, Jim Bates, as the Packers' first-year coordinator, installed a new defense, one that positioned the ends wider than his predecessor, gave them more freedom to rush the passer and made it possible for Kampman to lose weight and become a more explosive pass rusher. He finished that season with 6½ sacks.

Although Bob Sanders replaced Bates as coordinator a year later, he ran the same system and Kampman, now settled in as an every-down left end, registered double-digit sack totals of 15½ and 12 in 2006 and '07, respectively. Along with being named to consecutive Pro Bowls, Kampman also made second team both years in the Associated Press' all-pro voting.

"He did a hell of a job in the run game, too," said Hairston, Packers' defensive line coach from 2006-08. "That's the kind of player you want on your defense, a guy who can excel against both the run and the pass."

Kampman had another good year in 2008 with 9½ sacks, then was moved to left linebacker when new coordinator Dom Capers installed a 3-4 defense in 2009.

Although Kampman gave it his all and was allowed to line up in a three-point stance on some passing downs, he never looked truly comfortable playing as a stand-up linebacker. In the ninth game, he sustained a season-ending knee injury and then signed a free agent contract with Jacksonville after the season.

"Great pro," said Mike McCarthy, Kampman's head coach during his final four seasons in Green Bay. "He was a great teammate, just a great technician. Played the game the right way. Look at his numbers." That said, McCarthy admitted, "Yeah, Aaron wasn't really cut for that 3-4."

In eight years with the Packers, Kampman played in 112 games, started 104 and registered 54 sacks. He also played in six postseason games and had another three sacks. With Jacksonville, he played in only 11 games over two years and was released.

Born Nov. 30, 1979, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Given name Aaron Allan Kampman. 

https://www.packers.com/news/aaron-kampman-dispelled-narrative-that-came-with-his-roots-draft-status-jan-22-2026

 

 

Marshal Yanda: A HOFer in every sense of the word

 

 

https://x.com/ravens/status/2014017038642040931?s=42

Who is the best NFL head coach in the playoffs? Ranking all 14

 

Jack McKessy

USA TODAY

Jan. 7, 2026, 11:22 a.m. ET

All 14 NFL teams in the playoffs made it this far, in part, because of the leadership of their head coaches. Who among the 14 head coaches in this year's postseason field is the best of those strong leaders?

It's not an easy question to answer. Each one of the head coaches to make it this far has an argument for why he deserves a shot at the top spot in the power rankings.

A couple of first-year head coaches have accomplished major turnarounds to bring their teams from among the league's bottom-feeders to division titles. Some others have years of playoff – and Super Bowl – experience under their belts.

USA TODAY Sports has power ranked the head coaches of the 14 NFL playoff teams entering the looming six-game wild-card weekend. Here's how it went:

NFL head coach power rankings: Wild-card round

1. Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots

The top spot on the list goes to the coach that executed the biggest one-year turnaround of any head coach in 2025. Vrabel inherited a Patriots team that had just gone 4-13 in back-to-back seasons and didn't have much of its roster figured out outside of upstart quarterback Drake Maye. In Vrabel's first year in charge, he brought back offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for a third stint and led the Patriots to a 14-3 record that was tied for the league's best.

2. Liam Coen, Jacksonville Jaguars

The second spot on the list goes to the coach that put together the second-best one-year turnaround of any head coach this year. Like Vrabel in New England, Coen inherited a Jaguars team that had just gone 4-13 one year prior and turned them into a contender for the AFC's No. 1 seed as late as Week 18. The offensive-minded, rookie head coach also helped get quarterback Trevor Lawrence playing more like the top prospect he was promised to be.

3. Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks have one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL with their "12s" among the loudest fanbases in the sport. Yet Macdonald, in his two years as head coach in Seattle, has his team playing better on the road. The Seahawks are 17-2 on the road over the last two seasons with just one loss as the away team in each of the last two years.

Macdonald, who was formerly a defensive coordinator, has also molded Seattle's defense into the top scoring defense in the league, something the Seahawks haven't been since the "Legion of Boom" era in the early 2010s. That strong defense, along with the work offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak did with quarterback Sam Darnold and the offense this year, pushed Seattle to the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

4. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers

Shanahan has long been considered part of the "cream of the crop" of NFL head coaches. His offensive mastery and scheming, partly inherited from his father, Mike, is lauded as one of the league's best in the present day. The work that Shanahan did with the 49ers this year amidst a plethora of injuries to key players deserves extra recognition. San Francisco was playing for the NFC's No. 1 seed in Week 18 despite missing lead receiver Brandon Aiyuk all season, top wideouts Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall for some time and losing top defenders Fred Warner and Nick Bosa to season-ending injuries.

5. Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams

McVay is up there with Shanahan as one of the head coaches considered to be among the best offensive minds in the NFL. In 2025, his ninth season as the Rams' head coach, McVay put a new twist in his playbook that returned Los Angeles to its spot as the leagues' top scoring offense: 13 personnel. In other words, deploying one running back and three tight ends along with just one wide receiver in a formation. McVay and the Rams ran over 30% of their offensive plays out of 13 personnel, per Sumer Sports, more than twice as much as the team with the next-highest usage rate. The result? Los Angeles led the NFL in total yards, passing yards and points scored per game.

McVay's ability to adapt and change as defensive coordinators came up with ways to stop previous iterations of his offense are part of what makes him such a valuable head coach.

6. Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears

Johnson is one of two rookie head coaches to lead his team to the playoffs this year, joining Coen. While Johnson didn't quite have the Bears fighting for their conference's top seed as Coen did with the Jaguars, Chicago's 2025 turnaround looked quite similar to Jacksonville's. The Bears were coming off of a 5-12 2024 season that resulted in the firings of their head coach and offensive coordinator. In his first year, Johnson catapulted Chicago from last place in the NFC North to first place and the NFC's No. 2 seed. He's also helped unlock more of second-year quarterback Caleb Williams' potential by tailoring the offense to his skill set, much like Coen has with Lawrence in Jacksonville.

7. Sean Payton, Denver Broncos

Payton didn't pull off quite the same turnaround as other coaches on this list, but he deserves his flowers for breaking the Chiefs' stranglehold on the AFC West and leading the Broncos to the No. 1 seed. While defensive coordinator Vance Joseph helped Denver's defense shine in 2025, Payton continued to mold the Broncos' offense around second-year quarterback Bo Nix. Payton has maximized what Nix is able to do with a skilled group of playmakers around him and rode that momentum – and that from the defense – to the top seed in the AFC. Worth noting too is Payton's nine playoff wins as a head coach, which puts him 20th all-time in the category.

8. Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills

Since 2019, McDermott's third year as the Bills' head coach, Buffalo has won at least 10 games each season. This year, the Bills won 12 games but fell one win short of a sixth straight AFC East division title. The biggest stain on McDermott's résumé so far has been his inability to win big games – mostly against the Chiefs – in the playoffs. The Bills have not been to the Super Bowl with McDermott and have been eliminated from the postseason by Kansas City in four of their last five playoff appearances. With the Chiefs out of the playoff picture this year, McDermott and the Bills have a clearer path to an AFC title.

9. DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans

After back-to-back 10-win seasons to begin his coaching tenure in Houston, Ryans led the Texans to tying their franchise record of 12 wins during the 2025 regular season. These last three seasons of success followed three straight years of four or fewer wins before Ryans came in. With Ryans, the Texans haven't won fewer than 10 games, have two division titles and have made the playoffs each year. In addition, the former NFL linebacker has had success coaching in the wild-card round with two wins in two appearances. So far, the third-year head coach has not been able to push his team past the divisional round and into the conference championship.

10. Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers

Harbaugh is in his sixth season of coaching in the NFL – his second season in his second stint at the pro level. In each of the last two seasons, he's led the Chargers to 11 wins. In his NFL coaching career, Harbaugh-led teams have won fewer than 11 games just one time: the 2014 San Francisco 49ers, which went 8-8. The former 49ers head coach has yet to win a playoff game since making his return to NFL coaching. Last year, the Chargers lost in the wild-card round to Ryans and the Texans as quarterback Justin Herbert threw four interceptions.

11. Dave Canales, Carolina Panthers

On paper, Canales' team's record would indicate that he belongs at the bottom of this list. The Panthers eked into the playoffs despite an 8-9 record because of the poor state of play in the NFC South this year. But there should also be an argument that Canales' ability to get Carolina up to eight wins and a division title two years after the Panthers won two games is a story of success. The second-year head coach has built a serviceable offense despite the limitations of quarterback Bryce Young and has kept the Panthers on an upward trajectory in the win column for two consecutive years. Bringing a team from two wins to the playoffs in two years is laudable.

12. Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles

Sirianni is coming off of a Super Bowl win last year with a team that consistently looked capable of dominating both sides of the football. This year's team, despite returning almost all of last year's roster, seemed to take a sizable step back, particularly on offense under new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. Despite Philadelphia's second straight NFC East win – making them the first team to win that division in back-to-back years in two decades – and a recent Super Bowl victory, Sirianni's decision to stay in-house with Patullo and inability to find a solution to star receiver A.J. Brown's frustrations early in the year drop him further down the list. Sirianni's decision to rest the Eagles' starters in Week 18 to miss out on the NFC's No. 2 seed after the Bears' loss is something that will also come into question pending how their outing against the 49ers goes.

13. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers

Tomlin just led the Steelers to their 22nd consecutive non-losing season and sixth straight winning season. Pittsburgh also won an AFC North title this year for the first time since 2020, and the Steelers are back in the playoffs for a third straight year and fifth time in the last six years. In their last five postseason appearances, Tomlin and Pittsburgh have been one-and-done. The Steelers haven't won a playoff game under their current head coach since the 2016 season. Until Tomlin breaks that streak, it's hard to rank him any higher in a playoff coaches power ranking list.

14. Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers

The Packers won 13 games in each of LaFleur's first three seasons as their head coach and won a playoff game in each of those first two. The sailing hasn't been quite as smooth in the four years since. Last year's 11-6 campaign was the Packers' best regular season outing since 2021, and Green Bay still finished third in the NFC North and flamed out in the wild-card round of the playoffs. LaFleur has one playoff win since 2020 in three trips to the postseason in that time. To close out this year's 9-7-1 showing, the Packers lost four straight games with LaFleur struggling to right the ship in the wake of injuries to edge rusher Micah Parsons and quarterback Jordan Love. Love will return for the wild-card round, but LaFleur has his work cut out for him ahead of a third meeting with the Bears this year.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/playoffs/2026/01/07/nfl-playoffs-head-coach-power-rankings-vrabel-coen/88048687007/

 

Iowa ends 2025 allowing just 16.1 PPG

 

https://x.com/benscottstevens/status/2006761619074986351?s=10