Ben Johnson Favored in Opening NFL Coach of the Year Odds for 2025

• New Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is the early betting favorite for NFL Coach of the Year
• The Top 4 spots are held by head coaches starting off with their new teams
• Read below for NFL Coach of the Year odds, and some wagers worth considering

---

The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t even hit their parade for winning Super Bowl 59, but the page has already started to turn. On Wednesday, DraftKings released its first odds for NFL Coach of the Year for 2025-26, and it’s headlined by Ben Johnson, the offensive whiz of the Detroit Lions now calling shots for the Chicago Bears. With every coach in place for the upcoming season, let’s have a look at all the odds, and share some of our wagers worth considering.

2025 NFL Coach of the Year Odds

Johnson checks in at +700 odds, leading a quartet of coaches taking over the helm of a new team. He’s followed by new Patriots’ head coach Mike Vrabel (+850) with Jacksonville’s Liam Coen and New Orleans’ Kellen Moore both in at +1200 odds. If you’re thinking about going back-to-back with Vikings’ newly minted COY Kevin O’Connell, you might want to reconsider: the last coach to win this award two years in a row was Joe Gibbs in 1982 and 1983.

Odds as of February 12 at DraftKings. Be sure to check out the best DraftKings promo code before placing a futures bet for any NFL Awards.

No Wager Is Too Wild for NFL Coach of the Year

Johnson sounds as good a pick as any, but there are a ton of variables that have yet to be decided, with free agency and the NFL Draft still coming down the pipe.

Last year, the opening Top 3 odds in the COY race were Jim Harbaugh (+1000), Matt Eberflus (+1000) and Raheem Morris (+1200). Harbaugh did get the Bolts to the playoffs, but Eberflus didn’t last the season with Chicago, and Morris’ chances cratered staying way too loyal to Kirk Cousins and not letting Michael Penix Jr spin earlier.

9 SACKS FOR THE PATRIOTS

THE BEARS HAVE FAILED CALEB WILLIAMS pic.twitter.com/pCo9vZVETz

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 10, 2024

Johnson does have a potential star in quarterback Caleb Williams, and an above average receiving core based around DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, but he won’t have anything close to the offensive line he was blessed with in Detroit.

Williams was sacked an NFL-high 68 times last season, 16 clear of the next closest pivot. That doesn’t mean that he can’t turn it around, but just keep your options open to sprinkle around.

New Coaches to Consider

Vrabel is probably the highest-regarded coach to get a job this cycle, for his hard-nosed, culture-strong program in Tennessee. He did it with Ryan Tannehill at pivot, and now he’s got budding star Drake Maye.

Coen was an architect of the impressive Buccaneers’ offensive scheme that turned Baker Mayfield into what many thought he was going to be as a top pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He’ll try to revive what seems to be a dimming light around Trevor Lawrence.

My number one and two coaching hires are pretty typical.

1. Ben Johnson
2. Mike Vrabel

3. Liam Coen – helped Baker set career highs in, completions, completion %, YDS and TDs and go from the worst rushing team in 2023 to the 4th best (88 ypg to 149.2 ypg). #Jaguars #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/ReBTYgpwST

— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) February 13, 2025

The other new coaches are going to be playing uphill without a franchise pivot in their QB room. Kellen Moore just won a title in the city of New Orleans, but the Saints’ program is a far cry from the offensive machine that was built up in Philly.

It’s almost like Pete Carroll (+1200) is starting over at USC, as the Las Vegas Raiders are barren of talent almost everywhere short of stud tight end Michael Mayer. Meanwhile, the culture shift under Aaron Glenn (+1600) in New York will start with going Aaron Rodgers-free. It’s a good start, but there are no clear answers at quarterback yet.

Brian Schottenheimer (+2800) has the most experienced pivot in Dak Prescott, but the Cowboys need a revamp of their offensive weaponry outside of CeeDee Lamb, and some new blood on defense.

NFL Coach of the Year Best Bet for 2025?

There are a couple of coaches in the middle of the pack that seem most appealing. Sean Payton (+1400) looks to have hit the right bet with Bo Nix at quarterback, and Denver is coming out from under all the Russ Wilson dead cap weight. He’ll be able to better build the offense he wants, with a defense that is already pretty sound.

Still in the AFC West, Jim Harbaugh did a lot of heavy lifting to get the Chargers to be a tough defense and a ball-control offense, but he needs to arm Justin Herbert with playmakers across the field. If he can build on a successful first year, LA can be serious.

Great stuff from @nikkkkbonitto on @Realrclark25’s podcast “The Pivot” talking about how Sean Payton changed the #Broncos culture, what impressed him the most about Bo Nix & what the team learned from their loss to the #Bills in the playoffs

Full episode: https://t.co/GQecPedu7P pic.twitter.com/Yw19hqxUtz

— Ryan Edwards (@redwardsradio) February 12, 2025

Looking for a longer shot? Zac Taylor (+2500) might have the next MVP in the league in Joe Burrow, and if they can just tighten things up around the offense, they should battle the Ravens for top spot in the AFC North.

And don’t forget Andy Reid, way down at the bottom of the board at +8000. The Chiefs were whipped in the Super Bowl, but he led a far less talented team to a 15-2 regular season and to a third straight title game.

KC knows what their weaknesses are, especially on offense. Fix that line and start getting some burners on the outside to take the top off those Cover 2 shells, and watch out for Reid, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs being scary again.

NFL Coach of the Year pick: Taylor (+2500)