Making the case for each of ESPN’s Coach of the Year candidates

RC Nazemi

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Making the case for each of ESPN’s Coach of the Year candidates image

This is the time of the year when, unfortunately, the majority of the coaches in the limelight are the ones losing their jobs. Don't let the coaching carousel fool you; the league is riddled with legitimate masterminds. 

The playoffs are right around the corner, so on top of watching some of the greatest players the league has to offer, we're about to see chess matches between some of the greatest minds.

With the regular season coming to a close, award conversations are starting to take shape as people discuss who's deserving. 

Recently, ESPN released a list of their top three candidates for the Coach of the Year award, and frankly, it's one of the closest races in years. Each of them is deserving, so let's see the case for each coach. 

Ben Johnson

2025-26 Record: 11-6

Arguably, none of the head coaches on this list has had the impact on their teams' overall culture that Ben Johnson has. 

Johnson has taken a team that has been a downtrodden mess for quite some time and instantly transformed them into one of the powerhouses of their conference. Seemingly overnight, and in arguably one of the toughest divisions in the league, no less. 

With loads of doubts about the first-year head coach he came in, he clicked with his second-year QB, Caleb Williams, leading them to a historic offensive season for the franchise.

More: Inside Ben Johnson's first playoff test and the Bears' rapid rise

The way he's also progressed, every single offensive draft pick has been a sight to see. Loveland, Burden III, Monangai, Trapillo, and even Walker have looked like instant plug-and-play players under his watch. 

It's impressive how much he's done in just his first season with a young core, but to that point, if he doesn't win Coach of the Year this year, he'll surely have more opportunities in seasons to come. 

Mike Macdonald

2025-26 Record: 14-3

Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has arguably the strongest case of all three of these coaches. 

As ESPN referenced, last year's Coach of the Year led a 14-3 playoff team quarterbacked by Sam Darnold. History may just repeat itself. 

More: Mike Macdonald on No. 1–seed Seahawks: 'We're a young team with an idiot head coach'

When I said the NFC North was arguably the best division in football, I said "arguably" because it seems fairly clear at the moment that the distinction belongs to the NFC West. With three playoff teams and three teams with 12+ wins, Mike Macdonald led his team to the top. 

Macdonald not only led the Seahawks to rise above two other legitimate conference contenders, but he did so with a style of football that lasts into the playoffs. 

Unlike the other two coaches on this list, Macdonald is a defensive mastermind, not an offensive one. He led Seattle to being one of, if not the most dominant, defensive units in the league. 

Over the last five weeks of the season, Seattle faced RBs Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor, Kyren Williams, Rico Dowdle, and Christian McCaffrey. In those five games, they didn't allow a single rush of 12+ yards. 

The defensive masterclasses he exhibits speak for themselves, but like Johnson, Macdonald is a young head coach. Expect him to be in the Coach of the Year conversations for some time. 

Kyle Shanahan 

2025-26 Record: 12-5

Lastly, we have Kyle Shanahan. Without a doubt, no head coach in the NFL has done more with less than Shanahan. 

The 49ers also play in the toughest division in football and were able to make a playoff appearance despite some of the most brutal losses due to injury of any team in the league. 

They have been without their WR1 and WR2, Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall, for most of the season; lost both defensive stars, Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, to season-ending injuries; and had to play eight games without their starting QB. 

For most teams, that would be enough to make sure you don't sniff the playoffs. Thanks to Shanahan's offensive schemes based around star RB Christian McCaffrey, the team has not just stayed afloat, but thrived. 

You can make the argument that, unlike the other two coaches on this list, he didn't win his division, but without a doubt, Shanahan has done much more with much less than the other two coaches here.

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Senior Editor