The Cincinnati Bengals held on while the rest of the AFC North was in turmoil. The Bengals retained coach Zac Taylor and general manager Duke Tobin despite calling for a franchise reset after a six-win season and a third straight campaign that missed the playoffs.
Chief executive Katie Blackburn told several local reporters on Monday that the club had opted to let the brass right the ship.
“We think they deserve another chance to prove that we can do what we hope we can do,” Blackburn said via Paul Dehner Jr. at The Athletic.
Generally, three straight non-playoff seasons with a player of Joe Burrow’s caliber under center prompts a change—hell, Sean McDermott lost his job in Buffalo because he didn’t make the playoffs despite seven straight postseason appearances.
Blackburn stopped short of making any finals impression for 2026.
“We’re obviously hoping for success this year,” Blackburn said. “I know [Taylor and Tobin] want to do it as much as I want to do it. I can’t predict anything about the future, but we’re definitely hoping to have a good season now and go from there.”