New Zac Taylor contract details hint at Bengals future
One of the big factors influencing how outsiders thought about the Cincinnati Bengals ’ course of action this offseason was the publicized contract details surrounding head coach Zac Taylor.
Most widely accepted reporting suggested 2026 is Taylor’s last year under contract with the Bengals .
Apparently not.
According to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, prior reporting is wrong and Taylor actually has two years left on his current deal:
“He signed a five-year extension following the Super Bowl season. Then, after reaching the AFC Championship Game in the 2022 season, he signed another five-year extension through the 2027 campaign.”
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So…that changes things.
The Bengals and Mike Brown are somewhat notorious for letting contracts run their course. But things got so bad this year, Taylor is so miserable without Joe Burrow under center that, in theory, it was reasonable to think the Bengals might wave off the 2026 season and start over at head coach anyway.
But if Taylor has two years left on his contract?
Forget it.
It doesn't help that Burrow lobbies for Taylor and the coaching staff publicly. What else would he say in public, of course. But there seems to be truth to the statements.
And we’re already seeing those classic Bengals signs of late-season positivity that leads to no meaningful change in the offseason again. Burrow is back. The defense has started to show signs of life. Burrow will keep starting, so rattling off one or two wins to close the season is in play.
The Bengals would undoubtedly have the hottest head coaching vacancy in the NFL if Brown and Co. shocked with Taylor.
But two years left on Taylor’s deal, and not one? Bengals fans might want to brace themselves for Taylor coming back, defensive coordinator Al Golden coming back, too, with only a few slight changes under Duke Tobin in the scouting department trotted out as the "change" in response to another bad season.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: New Zac Taylor contract details hint at Bengals future
