Bengals Deemed Top Potential Head Coaching Destination Across Entire NFL

CINCINNATI — The Bengals may be unlikely to fire Zac Taylor after this season, with his contract now revealed to run through 2027, but they'd likely be the top head coaching destination if they did bail on this era.

Taylor is just 17-15 with Joe Burrow on the field since the team's last playoff trip in the 2022 season.

ESPN's Bill Barnwell views these factors and others as top reasons to move on.

He ranked Cincinnati first among the potential head coach openings this coming offseason.

"Burrow's comments in recent weeks about not having fun playing football have understandably raised concerns in Cincinnati, where a fan base still scarred by Carson Palmer's injury and eventual holdout before a trade to Oakland is afraid of losing its franchise quarterback," Barnwell wrote. "Both Burrow and his teammates have clarified that those comments aren't about playing in Cincinnati, which should put Bengals fans at ease, at least for the time being.

"If Burrow is not enjoying losing, though, what can the Bengals realistically do to change their fortunes? Since making runs to the Super Bowl in 2021 and the AFC Championship Game in 2022, the Bengals haven't made it back to the postseason. Yes, injuries to Burrow in 2023 (calf) and 2025 (toe) have hampered their chances. However, Taylor has gone 17-15 over that time frame when Burrow has been on the field, which isn't good enough given the floor a QB like Burrow should offer every week. Burrow wasn't great against the Ravens on Sunday, but he was an MVP-caliber quarterback in 2024, and the Bengals couldn't even make it to the playoffs that season."

Barnwell would like to see the Bengals roll with a defensive-minded head coach this cycle.

There are plenty of good candidates on that front, and far fewer on the offensive side.

"The defense remains the problem in Cincinnati, and though the Bengals fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo last offseason in the hopes of turning things around with Al Golden at the helm, the results haven't been much different in 2025. The Bengals have the league's worst-tackling defense. The defense routinely blows coverage assignments. And without Trey Hendrickson, who has missed most of the season with a core injury, the Bengals don't have enough of a pass rush to create problems for opposing quarterbacks.

"Firing Taylor and hiring a defensive guru would be the biggest step the Bengals could take to win while they have Burrow in his prime. And though there will be offensive coaches desperate to work with Burrow, this should be an even more appealing job for defensive minds like Chargers DC Jesse Minter and Packers DC Jeff Hafley. Turn the defense into even a league-average unit, and the Bengals would be a perennial playoff team. Mold it into a top-10 defense, and the Bengals would compete for Super Bowls."

Now, this is all very unlikely to go down.

Cincinnati showed a willingness to eat coaching salary for one year at the end of Marvin Lewis's tenure, but two seasons paying two different coaching staffs (Taylor's and the new staff) may not be on the table at all, even if they finish 4-13 overall.

The Bengals have given long leashes to their coaching staffs, clearly believing it's the best path to win a Super Bowl. Nearly 60 years into the franchise's life, that strategy has produced just three title trips and zero Super Bowl trophies.

Check out Barnwell's full piece here, where he also noted Cincinnati is 30th in cash spending over the past five seasons, only ahead of the Raiders and Rams.

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