Will the Bengals Fire Zac Taylor? NFL Insiders Deliver Verdict on HC’s Future After Cincinnati Misses Playoffs
The Cincinnati Bengals have had a season to forget. A massive amount of injuries, drama, and dysfunction has sunk their preseason Super Bowl hopes not only for 2025 but perhaps for the long term. Currently sitting at 4-10 and third in the AFC North, only above the 3-11 Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati has been eliminated from the playoffs.
With expectations falling well short, many would expect major changes in the organization. NFL Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero have intel into what the future might hold for the Bengals and their head coach, Zac Taylor.
Inside Sources Break Their Silence on Bengals’ Head Coach
Rapoport and Pelissero shared that “Despite a third straight non-playoff season and quarterback Joe Burrow’s recent musings about the future, there are no signs the Bengals are preparing to make major changes. Coach Taylor has two years left on his contract, and all indications are that Taylor should return.”
Given the pressure the Bengals face in competing with a win-now, veteran-led roster, it may seem surprising that Taylor is expected to remain in his position.
With Burrow having recently turned 29, the clock is ticking for this team to meet the expectations set when they re-signed receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, thereby widening their supposed Super Bowl window.
The defense certainly hasn’t set the standard for Super Bowl contenders, led by new hire Al Golden. They are ranking dead last in the NFL, according to PFSN’s defensive impact grades, scoring a 60, which is below other lowly units, such as the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders, and New York Giants.
As one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL, Burrow deserves to have the right players and coaches around him. Whether that includes Taylor appears to be decided, as it seems he’ll be back for 2026.
Taylor had been hired from the Los Angeles Rams staff, where he worked as the quarterbacks coach in the 2018 season, helping lift the team to Super Bowl LIII. Brought on by the Bengals in 2019, his tenure started rough, going 6-25-1 through his first two seasons.
His luck turned in 2021, guiding the team to a 10-7 record and through the AFC for an appearance in Super Bowl LVI, ultimately losing to the Rams, his former team. The next year saw a 12-win season result in another AFC Championship appearance and a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Since then, they’ve yet to make it back to the playoffs. With patience running thin, Taylor will need to rebound in a big way next season if he wants to stick around.
Article written by
Jack Aaron
