When it comes to Zac Taylor, the Cincinnati Bengals have seen enough to know they have the right guy at head coach. As such, the two sides have agreed upon a multiyear contract extension that will keep Taylor in place through the 2026 season — the team announced — shortly after narrowly landing an upset against the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Taylor led the Bengals to a 10-7 record during the regular season and ownership of the AFC North crown, punctuating it with a postseason run led by quarterback Joe Burrow and rookie phenom Ja’Marr Chase.
It was the first time the Bengals earned a postseason bid since the 2015 season and their first Super Bowl appearance since the 1988 season, and as the team looks to reload this offseason, they’ll now do so knowing Taylor is locked in for the long haul.
“Zac has come into the league and worked to develop the foundations for a winning program that can be successful over time,” said Bengals president Mike Brown in an official statement. “The fruits of Zac’s efforts were seen this year, and Zac is well-regarded by our players and coaches. I know the effort and passion Zac brings to the building and to our team, and I am pleased by his approach. And I think the City of Cincinnati sees him the way the players and I do.
“He’s brought excitement to the town and deserves credit and recognition for that.”
Taylor joined the Bengals in February 2019 after having spent time with the Rams as quarterbacks coach the year prior, and the assistant wide receivers coach under Sean McVay in 2017. Another successful branch of McVay’s coaching tree who has proven himself a more-than-capable head coach and talented young football mind, the 38-year-old will now get to work figuring out free agency and the 2022 NFL Draft, with the Bengals having plenty of questions surrounding how to approach both. If he can build on the success of the 2021 season, considering where the Bengals finished, he and his team could be standing on a platform in February sooner than later.
