Legendary NFL coach mentioned as potential replacement for Zac Taylor in Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Bengals are on the verge of missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season, and if that happens, major changes could be coming to the team over the offseason.

Zac Taylor has been the head coach of the Bengals for six seasons, but there's a real chance that 2024 will be his final year in that role if Cincinnati's struggles continue. Some fans in Cincinnati have already began dreaming of potential replacements for Taylor, and some analysts and media members have done the same.

Bill Belichick floated as a potential replacement for Zac Taylor in Cincinnati

During a recent podcast appearance, The Ringer's Bill Simmons mentioned a legendary NFL coach as a potential replacement for Taylor.

“If I’m the Bengals, I don’t know how Zac Taylor survives the season,” Simmons said. “This could be another job that’s open, and I was thinking it’s a pretty interesting [Bill] Belichick job.”

Now, let's start with the obvious. Belichick has been mentioned as a potential candidate for virtually every head coaching opening in the league over the past year, and understandably so. He's the most successful head coach in the history of the league, so basically every franchise in need of a new lead voice would love to have him.

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So, what would make Cincinnati so special in Belichick's eyes? Simmons thinks that the presence of an elite quarterback in Joe Burrow would probably help.

“If you’re going for wins if you’re Belichick, if one of the reasons you’re coming back is to break the record, then Burrow is the best quarterback available,” Simmons said. “Otherwise you’re looking at Trevor Lawrence, you’re looking at whatever the Giants do, you’re looking at whoever the hell the Raiders QB is going to be.”

As a Bengals fan, it's tough not to salivate while thinking of a potential pairing of Belichick and Burrow. But, that duo ever forming is far from a certainty. We don't know that the Bengals will part ways with Taylor after the current campaign, and even if they do, there's no guarantee that they'll be able to bring in Belichick.

But, Bengals fans can dream for now. It's been a tough, stressful season, so there's nothing wrong with looking for reasons for optimism, and sometimes optiism comes in the form of a new head coach.