Zac Taylor whining to the media about a meaningless game being stopped to celebrate Myles Garrett breaking the single-season sack record perfectly sums up what the Cincinnati Bengals have become - an unserious organization ran by unserious and incompetent people.
As the dust settled after Black Monday in the NFL, six head coaching jobs were, and still are, vacant. The Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons all fired their respective head coaches, while the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans did so before the season ended.
The Bengals, however, stayed put. Not just at head coach, but every coach. Zac Taylor was spared despite missing the postseason in each of the last three seasons and posting a 24-27 record in that span. Speaking to the media Monday, he also made it clear that he was making zero staff changes, meaning defensive coordinator Al Golden would be returning after his defense ranked 30th in points per game, 31st in total yards allowed, and dead last in rushing defense. This is after Taylor scapegoated Lou Anarumo following the 2024 season. He then went to Indianapolis and helped the Colts become one of the top units against the run and allowed the 10th fewest touchdowns in the NFL in 2025.
And as if things could get any more laughable for the Bengals, owner Mike Brown announced that Duke Tobin would also be returning as the team's top executive.
"Our focus is on building a team that can consistently compete at the highest level, with the goal of winning championships," Brown said in a released statement. "After thoughtful consideration, I am confident that Duke Tobin and Zac Taylor are the right leaders to guide us forward. They have proven they can build and lead teams that compete for championships..."
So, everyone returns after putting together a 6-11 season. There in lies the problem with the Bengals, although it is far from new.
The Bengals are content with mediocrity so long as it doesn't mean they have to make any real changes and get outside of their comfort zone. Mike Brown doesn't do the whole "take chances" thing. His plain greek yogurt of a front office and coaching staff is perfectly okay in his eyes so long as fans continue to flood into the stadium. Per Pro Football Reference, the Bengals were 15th in home attendance, right behind the Los Angeles Rams and ahead of teams like the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, and Philadelphia Eagles. Winning comes secondary to revenue in Cincinnati. It's why Marvin Lewis was there for 16 years without winning a playoff game, and why Tobin has been there since 1999. Some teams are in the business of winning - the Bengals just aren't one of them - which brings us to the superstar quarterback-shaped elephant in the room.
Back in early December, Joe Burrow showed a real vulnerable side of himself while speaking to the media, saying football needs to be fun if he wants to continue to play.
"If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing this," Burrow said via Charlie Clifford. "I have been through a lot. If it's not fun, then what am I doing it for? That is the mind set I am trying to bring to the table."
And while injuries almost certainly played a part in Burrow being frustrated, it's fair to assume his defense letting him down week in and week out while no one on the coaching staff or in the front office has been held accountable for the poor roster construction probably irritated him, too. It's like being a good worker at a department store. All your managers know you'll pick up the slack while Barry and Tom take their 15th smoke breaks of the day. But the managers are also friends with Barry and Tom, so you know they aren't getting fired.
Burrow played at an MVP level in 2024, throwing 43 touchdowns to just nine interceptions and nearly 5,000 yards - the Bengals went 9-8 and missed the playoffs. The answer to which was the aforementioned firing of Lou Anarumo, another contract dispute with Trey Hendrickson, and drafting Shemar Stewart and Demetrius Knight with their first two draft picks, both of which looked like they couldn't play dead in a western throughout the entirety of 2025. A Zac Taylor coaching problem that leads to Anarumo being let go, and a draft led by Duke Tobin in which both of the Bengals' first two picks look awful - and both are returning.
No one would blame Joe Burrow if he demanded a trade out of Cincinnati at this point. He deserves to play for an organization that values the number in the win column more than the number on an attendance sheet. And make no mistake about it, that's the path the Bengals are on. They've been through this exact situation before with Carson Palmer, and it ended with the Bengals drafting Andy Dalton and trading Palmer to the Raiders. And while many would believe that Mike Brown would move on from Taylor and/or Tobin before he trades Burrow, it's far from a guarantee. Nothing he's done over the last 25 years provides any inclination to believe that he would side with Burrow over his buddy who couldn't manage a Target, but will be in charge of assembling a 53-man roster for the 28th straight year.
Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins can do all they can to keep the Bengals relevant, but we saw what that looked like in 2024. They need a real head coach and a real defense, neither of which they currently have. But the biggest overarching issue is an owner who treats every Sunday like it's a Ringling Brothers show where people can just come see Joe Burrow and Co. Be awesome instead of a professional football team.
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