The Cincinnati Bengals announced Wednesday that head coach Zac Taylor's contract was extended through 2026.
Taylor, the Bengals head coach for the past three years, led the team to Super Bowl 56 and the third AFC Championship in franchise history.
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"Zac has come into the league and worked to develop the foundations for a winning program that can be successful over time," Bengals owner and president Mike Brown said in a press release. "The fruits of Zac's efforts were seen this year, and Zac is well-regarded by our players and coaches. I know the effort and passion Zac brings to the building and to our team, and I am pleased by his approach. And I think the city of Cincinnati sees him the way the players and I do. He's brought excitement to the town and deserves credit and recognition for that."
Brown and Taylor reached an agreement on the extension Tuesday, the day after the team returned from Los Angeles where Super Bowl 56 was played. Taylor said the conversation didn't take long because of the constant communication he has with Brown and everyone else in the front office throughout the year. He cites this as a key reason for his success.
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"I have a tremendous amount of appreciation for the opportunity I've been given here," Taylor said Wednesday morning. " Who knows, if I hadn't been hired by the Bengals, would I ever be a head coach? I have no idea. So I'll always be appreciative of the opportunity that Mike and the family gave me. I'm happy here. My family loves it here. I love coming into the building every day. I love everybody I interact with. So it's not a difficult decision to move forward on something when everyone's on the same page that way."
After winning just six games in his first two seasons, the pressure was on Taylor to win in 2021. Brown publicly showed support for Taylor following the 2020 season saying the franchise was “bullish” on the foundation he was building. He then followed up his comments by stating the importance of the upcoming season in terms of Taylor’s future as head coach of the Bengals.
“We must capitalize on the opportunities in front of us. Next year we will earn our stripes,” Brown said on Jan. 4 immediately after the 2020 season concluded.
Taylor proved to Brown and the city of Cincinnati their patience was worth it by putting together one of best seasons in franchise history. The Bengals went 10-7 in the regular season, won the AFC North title, hosted a playoff game, knocked off the AFC’s No. 1 seed on the road and beat the three-time reigning AFC Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, to earn a trip to Super Bowl 56.
“I’m very appreciative of course,” Taylor said. “This isn’t really about me; this is about all of the people in this building who are working towards a really solid future for all of us. I’m excited for everybody. I certainly feel like the future is bright.”
When asked what’s he’s learned most about himself as a head coach since taking the job in 2019, Taylor said learning how to delegate and empower the people around him are two things of which he’s tried to do more.
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“I think you just have to continue to learn from your experiences and let the people around you continue to do their job,” Taylor said. “Because we have really good people that are more than capable of doing some top-notch things and I think over the three years that’s one thing I’ve learned. Day-by-day, let people continue to do their jobs and continue to empower them. Things I always thought were big issues in Year 1 became less of issues in Year of 2 and less of issues in Year 3. It’s about how do you approach things and let the people around you really help.”
Taylor will enter the offseason and the 2022 season with a significant amount of his coaching staff intact and majority of his starters on both sides of the ball. Offensive coordinator Brian Callahan and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo both received head coaching interviews this year but will return in their respective roles.
In three seasons as head coach of the Bengals, Taylor’s record in the regular season is 16-32-1 and 3-1 in the playoffs.
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