Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown is 90 years old, and continues to show his age with the same inauthentic public-facing commitment to building a Super Bowl contender.
Joe Burrow said this offseason is "as big as it gets" for Cincinnati. Although Burrow himself has endorsed head coach Zac Taylor and the Duke Tobin-led front office before, Black Monday marked the chance for the Bengals to make a big statement.
Instead, it was more of the same. Who's surprised!? Not me!
Mike Brown waxes poetic about championship aspirations whilst confirming Bengals will retain Zac Taylor and Duke Tobin
Here's the statement that Brown dropped on Monday, which alluded to four consecutive winning seasons coming into 2025, which is a heck of a way to spin things when you don't make the playoffs for three years running. I mean look at this lingo, yo:
"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. We know this season has been frustrating and disappointing."
Gee, ya think!? You can see the rest of Brown's words below.
🔗: https://t.co/km7dtjiS2G pic.twitter.com/56vFz11nUo
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 5, 2026
Except you're not determined to build a championship-caliber roster. Nor are you fully committed to delivering results. Because if you were, you'd not be so adamant about running it back for continuity's sake.
Like yeah of course, keep Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. But to just stand pat with two starting rookie linebackers who are awful? To keep Geno Stone as a starting safety? To keep investing draft capital in players who aren't ready until their third or fourth seasons as a pro? That's how you absolutely blow it in Burrow's Super Bowl window!
Realistically, the Bengals are only a few players away from really shooting to the top of the AFC North. Because as long as Burrow is healthy and has a modicum of help, Cincinnati is a legit contender.
That help has proven elusive in recent years, though. Whether it's the offensive line and run game letting Burrow down, leading to major injuries, or the defense's futility, this team can't seem to get it together.
Anyone want to know how committed the Bengals are to building around Burrow? Check out these numbers! I imagine I'll embed this tweet ad nauseam throughout the offseason.
As the offseason approaches you're going to hear about how much money the Bengals spend or don't spend. Don't be fooled by cap-based reporting!
— Jake Liscow (@JakeLiscow) January 3, 2026
Here's where they ranked in cash spending the last 5 years (per Spotrac)
2025 - 22nd
2024 - 19th
2023 - 19th
2022 - 30th
2021 - 23rd
Unless those numbers, you know, move to the top 10 across the league, expect more of the same from the Bengals in 2026. A 10-win ceiling or thereabouts.