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Al Golden cites the Bengals' most valuable resource as to why he left Notre Dame to become Cincinnati's defensive coordinator

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By John Sheeran | Last updated Jan 27, 2025 3:05 PM ET

Despite how the College Football Playoff National Championship went down, no one would've batted an eye if Al Golden wanted to stay as Notre Dame's defensive coordinator. The Fighting Irish extended him to a nice contract the previous year as a reward for helping build one of the nation's best defenses.

Leaving that gig for the NFL wasn't in the cards until the Cincinnati Bengals began looking for a new DC after firing Lou Anarumo. Golden's most recent stop before South Bend was in Cincinnati as Anarumo's linebackers coach from 2020-21. Taking Anarumo's place three years later came down to a few very simple things.

Golden relayed that leaving ND and the relationships he built was tough, but the feeling of leaving the program better than the way he found it helped out in the process. As to why he chose this opportunity?

"There's only 32 of these [jobs]," Golden said. "And there's even less that have Joe Burrow."

That right there says it all. It's why this was one of the premier vacancies in the sport. It's one thing being a DC at this level, it's another when a world-class quarterback is taking care of business when your unit is off the field.

Being in charge of Burrow's defense is a tall task, but the allure is as obvious as it can be. So long as the defense is at least playing at an average level, the Bengals can go extremely far with the MVP-caliber Burrow we all saw this past season.

Golden nearly watched it happen three years ago when the Bengals fell just short of a Super Bowl title. He had already settled in Cincinnati and didn't want to move his family despite returning to the college landscape nearly five hours away. The roots he began settling years ago were a factor in coming back.

"I think that that to me, coupled with having worked here before, being being around the Brown family, being around coach [Taylor] before, and obviously having a great feel for this community in this town made it easier," Golden said.

The Bengals eyed Golden from the jump, and Golden knew just how rare the opportunity in front of him was. Once again, the Bengals can thank their lucky stars Burrow is on the team.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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