Kevin Stefanski Given Fifth-Best Odds To Win NFL Coach Of The Year

BetOnline released its betting lines for the NFL’s 32 coaches to win the Associated Press Coach Year Award in 2020.

Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski has the fifth-best odds to win the award at 18-1 as of Tuesday.

It means if someone bet $100 for Stefanski to win the award and he did, the person placing the wager would win $1,800 with $1,900 net payout.

Check out Odds Shark’s betting calculator if you’re still confused about how the odds work.

What would it take for Kevin Stefanski to win Coach of the Year?

If Stefanski guided the Browns to the postseason, it would mark the team’s first playoff appearance since the 2002 season: George W. Bush was president, social media hadn’t been invented yet and the first iPhones were still nearly five years away from getting released.

The Browns have the longest active playoff drought in the NFL and the second-longest active postseason drought in North American professional sports behind only MLB’s Seattle Mariners.

Stefanski has the opportunity to lead the Browns to their first winning season since 2007.

Working in Stefanski’s favor is the expansion of the NFL’s playoff format, which will now feature seven teams from each conference.

It would be hard for the AP to give the Coach of the Year Award to someone else if Stefanski can turn the Browns into a winner and lead them to the postseason.

Two of the last three winners of the award have been first-year head coaches: Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay won in 2017 and Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy won in 2018.

However, coaches in their first year with a team tend to struggle, combining for a 57-75-1 record in 2019.

Records for head coaches in their first year with the team during the 2019 season:

Kliff Kingsbury, Arizona Cardinals: 5-10-1

Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals: 2-14

Freddie Kitchens, Cleveland Browns: 6-10

Vic Fangio, Denver Broncos: 7-9

Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers: 13-3

Brian Flores, Miami Dolphins: 5-11

Adam Gase, New York Jets: 7-9

Bruce Arians, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 7-9

The Packers were the only team in the 2019 group that made the playoffs.

Coaches in their first season with a team didn’t fare much better in 2018 either, combining for a 49-52 record.

Records for head coaches in their first year with the team during the 2018 season:

Steve Wilks, Arizona Cardinals: 3-13

Matt Nagy, Chicago Bears: 12-4

Matt Patricia, Detroit Lions: 6-10

Frank Reich, Indianapolis Colts: 10-6

Pat Shurmur, New York Giants: 5-11

Jon Gruden, Oakland Raiders: 4-12

Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans: 9-7

The Bears and Colts are the only teams in the 2018 group that made the postseason.

Other coaches’ chances of winning the 2020 AP Coach of the Year Award

Like Stefanski, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury, and Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott also have 18-1 odds to win the award.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians are co-favorites to win the award at 12-1 odds. Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy is listed at 14-1 and Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich has 16-1 odds.

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh — who won the 2019 award — is listed at 25-1. Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is listed 28-1 and Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor is listed at 33-1 to round out the AFC North.

The biggest longshots to win the award are Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Marrone, and New York Jets coach Adam Gase at 50-1.

BetOnline.Ag’s odds to win NFL Coach of the Year in 2020:

Bill Belichick: 12/1

Bruce Arians: 12/1

Mike McCarthy:14/1

Frank Reich: 16/1

Andy Reid: 18/1

Kevin Stefanski: 18/1

Kliff Kingsbury: 18/1

Sean McDermott:18/1

Kyle Shanahan: 20/1

Mike Vrabel: 22/1

Brian Flores: 25/1