Former Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels is Favorite to Win Coach of the Year

There has been plenty of turnover in the NFL this season. Quarterbacks, wide receivers, and top defenders have shuffled across the league like crazy as teams attempt to make Super Bowl runs. However – despite all of this player movement, no move may be as important as Josh McDaniels departure from New England.

The former Patriots offensive coordinator was hired by Las Vegas to be the next Raiders head coach on January 31, 2022 . Dave Ziegler was hired alongside as their new general manager.

Ziegler and McDaniels got straight to work in Sin City, with their biggest move being trading for All-Pro Packers wide receiver Davante Adams – pairing him with college teammate and quarterback Derek Carr. Vegas also signed Chandler Jones, Rock Ya-Sin, Darius Phillips, and more to help them compete in the loaded AFC West division.

According to our partners at BetOnline.ag, Coach McDaniels is the favorite to win the NFL’s Coach of the Year this season. Here are their top ten:

NFL Coach of the Year Odds

Josh McDaniels          +1200

Brandon Staley           +1400

Nathaniel Hackett      +1400

Mike McDaniel           +1600

Kevin O’Connell         +1600

Kevin Stefanski          +1800

Kyle Shanahan           +1800

Nick Sirianni              +1800

Doug Pederson          +1800

Brian Daboll               +1800

You can do a lot with this list, but here are my three takeaways:

1. It is a very tight race

Though McDaniels is the favorite right now, it’s not by much. While he sits at the top with 12/1 (+1200) odds, Kevin Stefanski, Kyle Shanahan, Nick Sirianni, Doug Pederson, and Brian Daboll are all just outside of that at 18/1 (+1800) to round out the top ten. All of the coach and player movement this offseason will make this race super tight.

2. The top three coaches are from the AFC West

McDaniels (+1200), Brandon Staley (+1600), and Nathaniel Hackett (+1400) are the top three coaches on BetOnline’s board, and they all coach in the AFC West. Staley is going into his second season as head coach of the LA Chargers, and Hackett was hired by the Broncos at the end of January.

Los Angeles has made massive improvements this offseason, and Denver made arguably the biggest one when they traded for quarterback Russell Wilson. This division is absolutely loaded and I cannot wait to see how it plays out.

3. Bill Belichick is nowhere to be found

Coach Belichick, arguably the best coach of all time, is not listed in in the top ten of coaches to win Coach of the Year according to BetOnline. Granted, the Patriots haven’t done much to improve this offseason at all – but Belichick’s expertise is what could make that not matter.

Last season I though Bill Belichick was making a serious push to win Coach of the Year. Here’s what I wrote about his chances in early November:

For years, Belichick has been widely considered the best coach in the NFL and arguably the greatest coach of all time. Despite reaching this status, he hasn’t won the AP Coach of the Year award since 2010. That’s eleven years since being recognized as having the best coaching performance in a given season.

I’m both excited and terrified to see how New England’s offseason moves forward from here. The NFL Draft is going to be an incredibly important piece, and we will have you covered here on CLNS Media leading up to and during draft weekend. Make sure to keep it here with both myself and Evan Lazar for your up-to-date Patriots draft news!

Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @PatriotsCLNS for the latest up-to-date Patriots news!

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