AFC North Gets Major Shakeup With Zac Taylor Only Coach Returning in 2026

Three new head coaches in the division.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin looks down the sideline in the fourth quarter of a Week 12 NFL football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, at Paycor Stadium. | Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are going to face an entirely new slate of head coaches in the AFC North amidst massive change for the division. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that Mike Tomlin is stepping down as Steelers head coach after leading them for the past 19 seasons.

It's a stepping down, not a firing from the Steelers brass.

The 53-year-old exits his role after posting an 8-8 or better season in each of the 19 campaigns. He clinched his 200th career NFL victory in Week 16 against the Lions and is tied with Chuck Noll for ninth all-time on the NFL head coaching wins list (193 regular-season wins).

The Steelers, Ravens, and Browns are all now searching for new head coaches, leaving Cincinnati as the only stable coaching situation entering the 2026 offseason. The Steelers are now looking for just their fourth head coach since hiring Noll in 1969.

The latest coaching change lays more urgency on the Bengals' feet to set themselves up as the division favorites entering September. Plenty of work remains for director of player personnel Duke Tobin and the rest of the front office to make that a reality.

"We have a lot of work to do this offseason," Tobin said on Friday. "We are aware of that. We're motivated for it. We're excited about it. We have a football team that has some challenges that we've got to solve. Beyond that, we have a football team that has a lot of positives to build on and a lot of things we're proud of and a lot of reasons for optimism. Those are things that we're excited about. We just have to, this offseason, it's all going to be about who's doing it, what they're doing, and how they're doing it. That's the focus. I really believe in the group that we have here."

A new day is fully here for everyone but the Bengals in the AFC North.

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