Bengals have seemingly already made Zac Taylor, Duke Tobin decisions

The fact that the Cincinnati Bengals will miss the playoffs for a third straight season understandably has some wondering if team ownership could part ways with head coach Zac Taylor and/or with director of player personnel/de facto general manager Duke Tobin this coming winter. 

For a piece published on Tuesday morning, Bengals reporter Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic suggested those who are hoping the club will embrace a reset in January will be disappointed. 

Bengals making this Zac Taylor move is "very unlikely"

According to Dehner, the Bengals firing Taylor "sounds very unlikely" ahead of Christmas. 

"Taylor and team president and owner Mike Brown speak every week during the season about the state of things," Dehner explained. "...There are a few key points surrounding Taylor’s status. For one, his contract will be a factor. Contrary to prior reports, Taylor actually has two years remaining on his contract after this season, not one." 

Taylor guided the 2021 Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance, and Cincinnati then played in the AFC Championship Game the following season. Quarterback Joe Burrow's 2023 campaign ended prematurely because of a wrist injury, and he more recently suffered a toe injury in Week 2 of this season that left him needing surgery and kept him sidelined until Week 13. Without Burrow, the 2025 Bengals fell to 3-8. While they have since gone 1-2 since his return, he has publicly backed Taylor for years. 

"The relationship between Taylor, Burrow and Brown will carry weight," Dehner said. 

How Bengals reportedly view Duke Tobin

Meanwhile, Dehner noted that "Tobin is viewed as family" by Bengals ownership. 

"There is zero thought that his job is in jeopardy," Dehner added about Tobin. "He will have to lead the Bengals out of this drought, and ownership trusts him to do so."

Burrow raised eyebrows last week when he mentioned he needed "to have fun [playing] again." He has since insisted that those "comments had nothing to do with Cincinnati" and were instead about his "mindset." Unless Burrow experiences a change of heart regarding the current Bengals regime, it sounds like Taylor and Tobin will stay in their roles through the upcoming offseason.