(Reuters) – The Cincinnati Bengals said on Wednesday they have extended head coach Zac Taylor’s contract through the 2026 National Football League season after he led the team to their first Super Bowl appearance in 33 years.
Taylor has engineered one of the most incredible turnarounds in NFL history since being hired by the Bengals in 2019 and on Sunday had the team in position to secure their first Super Bowl championship until a late rally by the Los Angeles Rams.
“I know the effort and passion Zac brings to the building and to our team, and I am pleased by his approach,” Bengals President Mike Brown said in a news release.
“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.”
Taylor went 6-25-1 during his first two seasons as an NFL head coach during which the Bengals finished last in the AFC North but, with the help of quarterback Joe Burrow, has built one of the best young offences in the NFL.
In Taylor’s third season, Cincinnati went 10-7 during the regular season to win the AFC North division title before making a surprising run to the Super Bowl.
In the NFL’s championship game, the Bengals held the lead well into the fourth quarter until the hometown Rams scored the go-ahead touchdown with 85 seconds left and then leaned on their dominant defence to close out the 23-20 victory.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
