While his seat may not be as hot as some of the other coaches in the NFL, there have been questions surrounding Cincinnati Bengals leader Zac Taylor. His team has struggled in recent years, and while multiple major injuries have been a key factor, he’ll need to turn things around soon in order to keep his job secure.
NFL Rumors: Is Zac Taylor On The Hot Seat In Cincinnati?
So for Taylor, the acquisition of quarterback Joe Flacco is more than just a stop gap until Joe Burrow returns. It is a move that could ultimately cost him his job if Cincinnati’s record fails to improve.
For the third time in his six-year NFL career, Burrow suffered a serious injury early on in the 2025 season. Hampered by a torn ACL in 2020 and a torn wrist ligament in 2023, there were hopes that the star quarterback had turned the tide on his reputation of being injury prone, but that went out the window in Week 2.
Joe Flacco will start at QB Sunday at Green Bay, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor announced. pic.twitter.com/2jJFZO4IRU
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 8, 2025
After playing in all 17 games last season, Burrow was ruled out for three months with a severe case of turf toe. It was a near death sentence for a team that was a Super Bowl hopeful, as the 28-year-old’s absence has resulted in a 2-0 start being turned into a mark of 2-3 after the first month. Backup QB Jake Browning hasn’t played well enough to lead his team to any victories as a starter, and a change at the position was becoming a real possibility.
Joe Flacco Could Be Key In Saving Taylor’s Job
The Bengals made it a reality on Tuesday. In an intra-division trade, Cincinnati dealt for 18-year NFL veteran Joe Flacco, who lost his job in Cleveland to Dillon Gabriel. Flacco will be inserted into the starting lineup immediately, and Zac Taylor’s job could hinge on the results.
If the Bengals pick up a handful of wins over the next month, Taylor will live to see another day in Cincy. He will have proven that he can be a winner even without Burrow in place, and the team could potentially salvage their season before their bye in Week 10. But if the team continues their downward trend, Taylor’s seat will begin to heat up.
Zac Taylor is a good human nobody can deny that, but he got bailed out by a generational QB.
And when Burrow is out the flaws are obvious, we can’t compete.
You can’t even survive a half without him, Burrow turns 29 in December, it’s now or LITERALLY NEVER.
Change is necessary pic.twitter.com/F2PyCzEG6m
— Braxton Wheeler (@Braxxx26) September 30, 2025
It won’t be easy in the early going for Flacco and company. His career with the Bengals will begin with a game against the Green Bay Packers, whose defense ranks 4th in the NFL in terms of yards allowed, followed by a divisional matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on a short week.
While he is not listed in the top 8 in terms of the odds on which NFL coach is most likely to be fired first, Taylor would likely join the conversation if the Bengals go 1-3 or worse over the next month.
