Dan Campbell deserves to win his first Head Coach of the Year award but he will have to take down the odds on favorites to do so
Which head coach has led their team the best through the first half of the 2025 regular season?
With the NFL season halfway done, our team at A to Z Sports decided to vote on who should win each of the major NFL awards. Over the next week, we’ll release one article per day, covering each award. This article will cover the Head Coach of the Year award.
A panel of four writers was selected for each award, and we attempted to exclude the primary beat reporters for the top-five favorites by betting odds in each category. That way, we’ll minimize bias in the voting as much as possible.
And speaking of voting, we copied the NFL’s MVP point system, where first-place votes result in 10 points, second-place votes receive five points, third-place votes get three points, fourth-place votes are worth two points, and fifth-place votes are worth one point. Obviously, the player with the most points wins the award.
For the Head Coach of the Year, our panel includes Tyler Forness, John Sheeran, Kyle Crabbs, and Wendell Ferreira.
A to Z Sports midseason Comeback Player of the Year voting
Shane Steichen, Colts
“Usually, there are two types of profiles that win the head coach of the year award. First, coaches who lead overperforming teams to unexpectedly positive results. Second, coaches who just keep winning too much and generate a top seed in its conference. So far this season, Shane Steichen has done both.
It’s hard to know if the Colts will be able to keep this level of performance through the second half of the season. But the team is first in DVOA, has the best record in football, and all that with Daniel Jones at quarterback.
Steichen has been excellent in scheming easier looks for Jones and to design the best rushing offense in the NFL, making Jonathan Taylor a viable MVP candidate and the favorite for offensive player of the year. Part of being a successful coach is hiring good assistants, and Steichen did a great move by adding defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo to the staff.
There have been fair questions about Shane Steichen’s job since taking over the Colts two years ago, but he’s responded to each one of them in 2025.” – Wendell Ferreira, A to Z Sports Green Bay
Dan Campbell, Lions
“Ever since getting blown out in Week 1, the Lions have been one of the very best teams in the NFL. They’ve defied my expectations thus far after losing both their offensive and defensive coordinators to head-coaching gigs in the offseason, and Campbell deserves all the credit in the world for that. The culture and foundation Campbell has established has, so far, proven to be immune from brain-drain. He’s one of the best coaches in the game and deserves to be recognized as such for sustaining success.” – John Sheeran, A to Z Sports Cincinnati
Final voting results
- Shane Steichen: 35 points (3)
- Kyle Shanahan: 13 points
- Dan Campbell: 11 points (1)
Head Coach of the Year winner: Shane Steichen
“The Colts hired Shane Steichen to help develop their eventual first-round selection of Anthony Richardson. His best coaching, though, has come with the veteran QBs he’s had in the lineup instead. His first year with the team, he coached and built an offense that finished with a winning record and just inches away from a playoff spot and a divisional crown with Gardner Minshew under center. And he’s having even more success with Daniel Jones, who most of the league wrote off after his time with the New York Giants ended.
“Seeing Steichen’s ability to get the most out of his QBs and offense is remarkable. But I think a big portion of why he deserves the Head Coach of the Year award happened before the team’s regular season began. He went against the wishes of the majority of the fan base and named Jones the day one starter QB over Richardson. This was met with a lot of skepticism, but Steichen bet on himself as a play caller. And I’d say it’s safe to say he won that bet as the team now has the best offense in the NFL, and Jones is having one of the best years of his career.” – Destin Adams, A to Z Sports Indianapolis
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