Bengals owner and president Mike Brown confirmed Monday morning in a press release statement that both Taylor and de facto general manager Duke Tobin will retain their jobs following a third-straight season missing the playoffs and a 6-11 finish to the 2025 season, which marked the team’s first losing record since 2020.
Brown’s statement echoed much of what Burrow has said in recent weeks.
“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,” Brown said in the statement. “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.
“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.”
Brown went on to say the organization is “taking a hard look” at everything it does this offseason to build a championship-caliber roster that consistently wins and meets both internal and external expectations.
After the finale loss to Cleveland, Burrow said that he expects to have conversations with the coaching staff and front office this week to discuss his thoughts on what is needed, but he wasn’t ready to share what he would like to see change. He has faith the right people are in place to turn things around.
“I’m very confident in our coaching staff,” Burrow said. “I know those guys work really hard to put us in good positions, and I always feel well prepared and put in the best spot to succeed. From that standpoint, I think we’re in a good spot.”
Taylor said in a press conference Monday afternoon that he didn’t need a public show of support from Brown, but he appreciated it.
Now it’s on Taylor, the staff and front office to figure out steps toward improvement. Taylor confirmed he doesn’t plan to make any changes to his staff, but he does have a vision for 2026 that he wasn’t ready to share yet.
“I just feel like we’re on a path to really good things next year, and I think everybody that exited this building today feels that, players, coaches, everybody involved with this thing in that this season was a disappointment, it didn’t go the way we wanted,” Taylor said. “But, I’m already re-energized to get working on 2026 and get back to work. … I just feel like the energy of this group and the talent we have and the progress a lot of these guys made, that we’ve got a chance to be back in the conversation of where we belong these last couple years and have fallen short of that, so I’m excited, and I feel the excitement of all our players and coaches to get back to that.”
This offseason is “as big as it gets,” according to Burrow.
Credit: JEREMY MILLER
Credit: JEREMY MILLER
Cincinnati made its run to the Super Bowl in 2021 and back to another AFC Championship game in 2022 in large part because of some key signings in free agency, and the Bengals seem to have gotten away from that in recent years while instead focusing on bringing back their own guys and building through the draft.
Burrow said free agency in March will be of “paramount importance.”
“You have to identify where you’re weak and figure out a way to be strong in that area,” Burrow said. “That’s the NFL year in and year out. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. You have to attack that period with intent to get better.”
Tobin, who leads that charge as director of player personnel, is scheduled to speak to media Friday.
Coming off his sixth NFL season and a third major injury, Burrow knows he plays a big part in the team’s success on the field, as well. The Bengals were 5-3 in games he started this year and they won just one game without him.
It can’t just be on him. Burrow had the best season of his career in 2024, along with a triple crown year for wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, and Cincinnati still fell short of the postseason at 9-8.
The shift from Lou Anarumo to Al Golden as defensive coordinator this year didn’t yield the results Cincinnati had hoped with two rookie linebackers starting, no Trey Hendrickson for the second half of the season and inconsistency in the defensive line and safety positions.
Taylor was encouraged by late-season growth he saw, but that can’t be enough. With most of the offensive starters locked into contracts, the organization can focus on improving the defense.
Cornerback DJ Turner, one of the core pieces moving forward, said Taylor sets the tone for a strong culture, but building that up on defense with new and returning players is the key.
“Really just locking in and just the culture,” Turner said. “It just feels like we’ve just got to be ingrained in a hard-working culture. … We’ve got the people in here to do it. We’ve got the culture here to do it, and that’s a big part.”
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