It didn't take long for Black Monday news to pour in. Following Week 18, NFL teams were quick to announce the firing of head coaches, while NFL insiders reported which candidates could be next in line. One team that will not part ways with their leadership is the Cincinnati Bengals... and Pittsburgh Steelers fans should be thrilled.
The Bengals just wrapped up a 6-11 season with a disappointing loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Interestingly, the Browns have moved on from head coach Kevin Stefanski. But the Bengals will give HC Zac Taylor and director of player personnel (de facto general manager) Duke Tobin another season.
As the Bengals move forward with their current staff, this will mark the eighth season with Taylor as the head coach. In a statement released by team president Mike Brown, the Bengals have full confidence that Tobin and Taylor are the right leaders to guide this team forward. Brown also noted that no move is out of the question.
"We are taking a hard look at everything we do as we approach this offseason with focused determination to build a championship-caliber roster that wins consistently.
We are fully committed to delivering results that match the pride, passion and expectations of this organization and our fans."
There has been speculation that the Bengals could look to trade quarterback Joe Burrow for a king's ransom during the 2026 offseason. Burrow has been visibly disgruntled with the state of the team. And statements like this from Brown will only fuel speculation.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could get their dream if QB Joe Burrow gets traded out of the AFC North
In the off chance that the Cincinnati Bengals are foolish enough to move on from one of the league's best quarterbacks, there's not a chance in the world that Tobin and Brown would sign off on trading him within the division to a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But that doesn't mean the Steelers can't get their wish.
If the Bengals send Burrow packing just about anywhere, it will be better than dealing with him in the AFC North for potentially the next decade. Burrow turned just 29 years old in December, and if a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers has shown us anything, it's that great quarterbacks can last a long time in this league.
When healthy and on the field, Burrow has a 4-4 record all-time against the Pittsburgh Steelers. His losses are typically due to a disgraceful Bengals defense, rather than Pittsburgh keeping Burrow in check.
Burrow is the reason the Bengals were able to have four straight winning seasons from 2021 to 2024. And had it not been for the superstar quarterback missing more than half the season with toe surgery, he may have led Cincy to another winning season in 2025.
The likelihood of the Bengals trading Joe Burrow is slim to none. But stranger things have happened.