Any of these seven candidates could be considered worthy of the award, but the Patriots' and 49ers' coaches have the strongest case.

Drawing comparisons to Bill Belichick is quite the compliment for any head coach of the New England Patriots, and Mike Vrabel received just that sort of praise from a rival NFL coach.

And, coming off back-to-back four-win seasons, there’s a strong case to be made for Mike Vrabel earning the NFL’s Coach of the Year honors. Following Monday Night’s 33-15 win over the New York Giants, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye said Vrabel deserves to get the award.

Patriots coach Mike Vrabel is hard on his players, but after every game, win or lose, he greets them alone in the tunnel and thanks them.

Patriots coach Mike Vrabel commented briefly on injured offensive tackle Will Campbell's injury and recovery status.

The Athletic's Mike Jones recently highlighted several NFL Coach of the Year Candidates, including the Jacksonville Jaguars' Liam Coen. "Coen and company find themselves in the driver’s seat in the division and in line to end the organization’s playoff drought," wrote Jones.