There's An Overwhelming Favorite To Win 2026 NFL Coach Of The Year

We're still several months away from the start of NFL training camp, and yet, there's a clear favorite to win the Coach of the Year award. This NFL offseason featured a plethora of coaching changes. The Buffalo Bills fired Sean McDermott and replaced him with Joe Brady, the Las Vegas Raiders hired ...

by Chris Rosvoglou

Mar 25, 2026

John Harbaugh shakes hands with Kevin Stefanski.

We're still several months away from the start of NFL training camp, and yet, there's a clear favorite to win the Coach of the Year award.

This NFL offseason featured a plethora of coaching changes. The Buffalo Bills fired Sean McDermott and replaced him with Joe Brady, the Las Vegas Raiders hired Klint Kubiak as their head coach, and the Atlanta Falcons struck a deal with former Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski. We also can't forget that Mike Tomlin stepped down from his role with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

So who is the undisputed favorite to take home Coach of the Year next February?

As of this March, oddsmakers have John Harbaugh as the favorite (+500) to win Coach of the Year for the 2026 season.

Harbaugh was hired by the New York Giants shortly after the Baltimore Ravens fired him. According to multiple reports, Harbaugh signed a five-year contract that's worth approximately $100 million. As part of his agreement with the Giants, he'll report directly to ownership.

New Giants Head Coach John Harbaugh speaks during a press conference welcoming Harbaugh at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2025.
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Who are the other way-too early contenders for this award?

Ironically enough, Jesse Minter has the second-best odds (+800) to win this award. The 42-year-old defensive mind was hired to replace Harbaugh in Baltimore.

Tennessee Titans coach Robert Saleh (+1000) and New Orleans Saints coach Kellen Moore (+1200) are also among the early contenders.

Of course, there's a chance the winner of this award ends up being someone that isn't at the top of the list. The NFL proves every season that it's truly an unpredictable league.