Seahawks' Mike Macdonald Stunningly Finishes 3rd in Coach of The Year Vote

Despite moving the Seattle Seahawks from 9-8 and out of the playoffs in 2023 to 14-3 and a Super Bowl berth two years later, he was not named Coach of the Year for the 2025 season.

New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, who Macdonald will face in Super Bowl LX on Sunday, won the award instead. It's Vrabel's second COTY award after also winning it in 2021 while coaching the Tennessee Titans. He was fired by the Titans following the 2023 season.

Vrabel took the Patriots from back-to-back 4-13 seasons from 2023-24 to a 14-3 finish and a Super Bowl berth in 2025.

The Patriots had the easiest strength of schedule among all NFL teams this season at .391. The Seahawks had the 15th hardest schedule (.498).

Feb 5, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel talks to media members at the Santa Clara Marriott. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Surprisingly, Macdonald didn't even finish second. Vrabel received 19 first-place votes (302 total points) to Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen's 16 (239). Macdonald received eight first-place votes and finished with 191 points.

Coen, a first-year coach like Vrabel, also inherited a Jaguars team that finished 4-13 under Doug Pederson in 2024. This season, Jacksonville finished 13-4 and won its first AFC South title since 2022 before losing in the Wild Card round.

The Jaguars' strength of schedule ranked 17th among the rest of the league (.425).

Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson received one first-place vote and finished fourth (145). San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan had six first-place votes but came in fifth among the five finalists (140).

Macdonald still has a chance to walk away with the most prized hardware of all when the Seahawks face the Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Sunday, Feb. 8. The winner will raise the Lombardi Trophy.

More Seahawks on SI stories