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Joe Burrow says getting Bengals back to playoffs is the priority (0:49)
Ben Baby reports that Joe Burrow is hoping the Bengals will attack free agency and upgrade the roster this offseason. (0:49)
Ben BabyJan 5, 2026, 10:09 AM ET
- Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
CINCINNATI -- The Bengals are bringing back coach Zac Taylor and director of player personnel Duke Tobin, owner Mike Brown announced Monday.
The Bengals missed the playoffs for the third straight season as franchise quarterback Joe Burrow missed nine games with turf toe, which required surgery, finishing 6-11.
"We came into the season with high expectations, coming off four straight winning seasons with leaders in place that took us to a Super Bowl and two AFC Championship games. We know this season has been frustrating and disappointing. The results fell short of our standards, and missing the playoffs again proves there is more work to do," Brown said in a statement.
"Our focus is on building a team that can consistently compete at the highest level, with the goal of winning championships. 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. We trust their plans and expect to return to our desired level of success."
In seven seasons, Taylor has had two playoff appearances (2021, 2022) and is the only coach in franchise history to make multiple appearances in the conference championship game.
It's unclear how long Taylor has on his current deal. The team had previously announced Taylor was under contract through 2026.
Taylor (116 games) is the third-longest-tenured coach in franchise history, trailing his predecessor Marvin Lewis (256 games) and Sam Wyche (127 games).
In seven years, Taylor has an overall record of 52-63-1 during the regular season and 5-2 in the postseason.
Tobin, the Bengals' de facto general manager has been the Bengals' director of player personnel since 2002. The team has a 185-199-4 record (5-9 in playoffs) during those 24 seasons.
