2026 NFL Coach of the Year Power Rankings, Odds, Analysis

By Thomas Valentine | Jun 09, 2026, 11:32am

Talent wins games in the NFL. More often than not, the most talented teams are the ones that win championships, but sometimes, you need just a little bit more. The margin for error can be razor-thin, and the difference can often be coaching. The best coaches in the league are either elite playcallers or the ones who just know how to get the best out of their talent. And, like the players, coaches deserve to be rewarded for their efforts. Here are the Coach of the Year Power Rankings for the 2026 NFL season.

2026 NFL Coach of the Year Power Rankings

Sean McVay, LAR (+1325)
Jesse Minter, BAL (+733)
John Harbaugh, NYG (+488)
Klint Kubiak, LVR (+809)
Robert Saleh, TEN (+809)
Kellen Moore, NOR (+809)
Joe Brady, BUF (+900)
Brian Schottenheimer, DAL (+900)
Kevin Stefanski, ATL (+900)
DeMeco Ryans, HOU (+900)
Todd Monken, CLE (+1011)
Mike McCarthy, PIT (+1150)
Jim Harbaugh, LAC (+900)
Jeff Hafley, MIA (+1150)
Aaron Glenn, NYJ (+1011)
Ben Johnson, CHI (+900)
Liam Coen, JAC (+1011)
Shane Steichen, IND (+1011)
Dave Canales, CAR (+1011)
Kyle Shanahan, SFO (+1011)
Dan Quinn, WSH (+1150)
Dan Campbell, DET (+1011)
Matt LaFleur, GNB (+900)
Mike Macdonald, SEA (+1011)
Nick Sirianni, PHI (+1150)
Mike LaFleur, ARI (+1329)
Kevin O’Connell, MIN (+1011)
Zac Taylor, CIN (+1011)
Todd Bowles, TMB (+1150)
Sean Payton, DEN (+1011)
Andy Reid, KNC (+1150)
Mike Vrabel, NWE (+1329)

Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams (+1329)

The NFL’s Coach of the Year award is often reserved for coaches who take bad teams and turn them around. In recent seasons, we’ve seen Mike Vrabel, Kevin O’Connell, and Kevin Stefanski all win the honor. That trend is unlikely to change, but if there’s any coach that can buck the trend, it’s Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams.

McVay’s Rams enter the season as the current Super Bowl favorites (+550 on FanDuel) after an offseason that saw the rich get richer. The Rams traded for Trent McDuffie and signed Jaylen Watson in free agency before making, arguably, one of the biggest trades of all time, trading for the Browns’ two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett. They’ll be a potentially unstoppable unit, and McVay could win Coach of the Year for the first time since 2017.

Jesse Minter, Baltimore Ravens (+733)

Jesse Minter walks into the Baltimore Ravens facility feeling like a blessed man. It isn’t often that a head coaching role like the Ravens’ opens up. Arguably the most coveted head coaching job to open in years, the Ravens elected to go with Jesse Minter, the former Chargers’ defensive coordinator, as the man to replace long-time head coach John Harbaugh.

Minter has a big job on his hands in Baltimore. The Ravens finished with an 8-9 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2021, and the defense finished 18th in EPA per play. But there’s a ton of talent on the defense, and of course, the offense remains in good shape with Lamar Jackson at quarterback. A bounce-back for the Ravens in 2026 feels inevitable, and a 12 or 13-win season could lead Minter to early Coach of the Year buzz.

John Harbaugh, New York Giants (+488)

From the new Ravens’ head coach to the old Ravens’ head coach, John Harbaugh moved on this offseason after 18 seasons, and one Super Bowl win in Baltimore, and was swiftly hired by the New York Giants. A big name for a big job, Harbaugh will be hoping to turn around the fortunes of a Giants team that is looking to make the postseason for the third time since 2016.

The NFC East is a strong division, but the Giants’ improvements this offseason, as well as the hopeful development of second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart, mean that a Wildcard berth isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Any sort of improvement that ends up in a playoff spot will likely get Harbaugh in with a shout.

Klint Kubiak, Las Vegas Raiders (+809)

Klint Kubiak was, arguably, the most highly sought-after name of this head coaching cycle. The former Seahawks’ offensive coordinator was influential in the team’s Super Bowl win in 2025, helping lift Sam Darnold from a mixed-bag quarterback to one completely in the midst of a career renaissance. Kubiak has been revered as one of the top offensive playcallers in the league, and now gets a crack as a first-time head coach with the Raiders.

The Raiders drafted Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and Kubiak will hopefully be able to build an offense around the young star. Mendoza might not start from day one, but a much-improved offensive ecosystem will likely give the Raiders a few more wins. Even a seven or eight-win season could be enough for Kubiak to be included on the shortlist.

Robert Saleh, Tennessee Titans (+809)

Robert Saleh enters the 2026 season in his first season with the Tennessee Titans and as a second-time NFL head coach, looking for more success than at his first stop. Saleh got a tune out of the Jets for a hot minute, but things eventually went south. Now, Saleh will hope to take the Titans forward in the Cam Ward era. The defensive-minded head coach will have a hell of a job on his hands, but even aside from Ward, there are plenty of interesting and talented players worth building around in Tennessee.

Bringing in former Giants’ head coach Brian Daboll as the team’s offensive coordinator is a smart move, and he’ll be tasked with building an offense around the uber-talented Ward. Saleh and the Titans feel like a team with real potential to take off in 2026. The AFC South is always a crap shoot, even if the Texans, Jaguars, and Colts are all more than competitive now. Can the Titans surprise in the South? If they can, expect Saleh’s name to come up in Coach of the Year buzz.

Kellen Moore, New Orleans Saints (+809)

When the Saints hired Kellen Moore as the head coach last offseason, there wasn’t much fanfare. Moore had been one of the league’s better offensive coordinators at multiple different stops, but there wasn’t a huge amount of head coach buzz. However, after a slow start to life in 2025, the Saints went on a run towards the end of the season with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough under center, winning five of their last eight games to finish with a 6-11 record.

Now, the Saints enter the 2026 season with real buzz. The NFC South is up for grabs with the Buccaneers taking a step back, and the Panthers and Falcons feeling hard to figure out. That leaves the Saints, who might have the best roster in the division, as potential favorites. From worst to first, the Saints could win the division, and Kellen Moore could land the NFL’s Coach of the Year.

Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills (+900)

The Bills elected to move on from long-time head coach Sean McDermott this offseason, but rather than look to an outside hire, they promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to the role of the team’s new head coach. That move might have confused some, with an inside hire not feeling like a real fresh start. However, Brady knows the team and the offense, and has been earmarked for a head coaching job for a while now.

Undertaking this Bills team, well inside a Super Bowl window with Josh Allen at quarterback, is a tough task. The team has struggled to get over the playoff hump in recent seasons and failed to win the AFC East for the first time since 2019 last season. If Brady can get the team back on track in the regular season, while continuing to get the best out of Allen, there’s an outside shot he could get that first-year-coach boost.

Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys (+900)

The Cowboys hired Brian Schottenheimer last offseason, and the move was widely ridiculed due to the vast amount of options in the coaching cycle, but—so far—the hire has been a success. The Cowboys’ offense was one of the best in the league in 2025, finishing fifth in EPA per play, while Dak Prescott had one of the best seasons of his career. The defense struggled to hold up their end of the bargain, and that’s what stopped the Cowboys from making the playoffs and instead finishing with a 7-9-1 record.

An improved defense heading into 2026 means the Cowboys have the chance to be one of the league’s big improvers. The offense will remain an elite unit, but even if the defense can be average, the Cowboys could win double-digit games. It’s clear that the team wants to play hard for Schottenheimer—can they help push him to Coach of the Year?

Kevin Stefanski, Atlanta Falcons (+900)

The Browns moved on from two-time Coach of the Year winner Kevin Stefanski this offseason, and it didn’t take long for a team to snap him up. That team was the Atlanta Falcons, who fired their own head coach. The fact that Stefanski was on the market was a surprise in the first place, and there might not have been a better landing spot for him than in Atlanta.

Stefanski is one of the better offensive coaches in the NFL, and the Falcons possess a strong core of offensive talent, headlined by Bijan Robinson and Drake London, as well as a capable offensive line. The defense showed some promise in 2025, too. The issue remains at quarterback, with either Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix Jr. set to be the team’s starter in 2026. If Stefanski can weather that storm and take advantage of a wide-open NFC South, he could be the fourth-ever three-time Coach of the Year winner.

DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans (+900)

DeMeco Ryans enters his fourth year as the head coach of the Houston Texans, and the expectations might never be higher. The Texans were one win away from the AFC Championship Game in 2025 and were home to one of the NFL’s best defenses. The offense and C.J. Stroud struggled at times, with Stroud specifically falling off a cliff in the last few weeks of the season.

The feeling around the Texans in 2026 is wholly positive, though. The defense has a wealth of elite talent, and Ryans gives them all of the tools to utilize their talents. The offense has been improved, too. The offensive line has undergone another retooling, while David Montgomery was added to strengthen the running game. If the Texans go nuclear and finish with the top seed in the AFC—a real possibility—then Ryans could be rewarded for his hard work building one of the NFL’s top teams.

Photo Credit: AP/Adam Hunger