Zac Taylor contract extension well-deserved after Super Bowl run

The Cincinnati Bengals have extended head coach Zac Taylor through the 2026 season, a move that wasn’t shocking considering how the 2021 season went for the organization.

After winning just six games in his first two years and entering year three on the hot seat, Taylor and the Bengals shocked the world by going 10-7, winning the daunting AFC North, and going on to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

People can say what they want about the stripes “lucking” their way into the big game but if a team makes it to the Super Bowl, then they deserve to be there.

Even if the Bengals came up short, they only lost by three points and had led from the beginning of the third quarter until the final 1:25 of the game. They were a mediocre offensive line away from winning their first-ever championship and you can’t tell me otherwise.

Zac Taylor is the head coach of the Bengals through 2026

Taylor had one more year remaining on his contract so this move makes sense. He might not be the best coach in the league but it’s hard not to root for Taylor. He’s a likable guy and the players clearly love him.

Some people will point to Taylor opting to remove Joe Mixon from the game in the biggest moments and rolling with backup Samaje Perine instead but Taylor never shied away from doing things like that. He was criticized for being conservative during games and he was anything but in the Super Bowl, going for it on fourth down multiple times.

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Keeping Taylor around should only help Joe Burrow and the rest of this young Bengals continue to grow. Hopefully, they’re right back in this spot next year only with the right result next time around.