The Bengals have made it official with their new defensive coordinator.
Cincinnati announced that the club has hired Al Golden for the role.
“Al is a very highly regarded coach, and we are excited to welcome him back to the Bengals as defensive coordinator,” head coach Zac Taylor said in a statement released by the team. “He understands football at every level and has had great success as a coordinator, position coach, and head coach. Al has a great football mind and will bring a smart, physical, aggressive approach to our defense.”
Reports emerged that Golden, who spent the last three seasons as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator, was the frontrunner to replace former coordinator Lou Anarumo. Golden then interviewed the Bengals after Notre Dame lost the CFP National Championship Game earlier this week and subsequently informed the program he was departing.
Golden was previously the Bengals’ linebackers coach under Taylor from 2020-2021.
The Associated Press has announced the finalists for the eight awards that will be given out as part of the NFL Honors show on February 6.
The marquee award is the Most Valuable Player prize and the consensus has been for some time that the award will go to either Bills quarterback Josh Allen or Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson’s bid got a boost when he was voted a first-team All-Pro, but we’ll have to wait a little longer before finding out if voters also put him ahead of Allen on their MVP ballots.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, and Lions quarterback Jared Goff are the other finalists.
Barkley, Burrow, and Jackson are also finalists for the offensive player of the year award. Ravens running back Derrick Henry and Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase round out the contenders for that prize.
Burrow is a three-time finalist as he’s also up for comeback player of the year. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, Bills safety Damar Hamlin, and Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins join him in that category.
The other award finalists are:
Coach of the Year
Dan Campbell, Lions; Kevin O’Connell, Vikings; Sean Payton, Broncos; Dan Quinn, Commanders; and Andy Reid, Chiefs.
Assistant Coach of the Year
Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady; Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio; Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores; Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn; and Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
Defensive Player of the Year
Eagles linebacker Zack Baun; Browns defensive end Myles Garrett; Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson; Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II; and Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, and Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, Rams defensive lineman Braden Fiske, Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, Dolphins linebacker Chop Robinson, and Rams linebacker Jared Verse.
The Jets have found their head coach, now they need to find their General Manager.
Aaron Glenn has agreed to a deal to coach the team and their search for a G.M. to work with him will expand to include at least two more interviews. According to multiple reports, the team will have second interviews with Broncos assistant G.M. Darren Mougey and Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown.
The Jets had Commanders assistant G.M. Lance Newmark in for a second interview this week and his prior work with the Lions while Glenn was in Detroit suggested that they might come in as a package.
That’s not the case at this point and the Jets may be headed in a different direction when all is said and done.
Al Golden is headed back to Cincinnati.
After three seasons as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator, multiple reports indicate Golden is finalizing a deal to return to the Bengals as defensive coordinator. Pete Thamel of ESPN noted Golden has informed Notre Dame officials of his decision.
Golden was Cincinnati’s linebackers coach under head coach Zac Taylor from 2020-2021, helping the club reach Super Bowl LVI in the latter season.
After stints as a college head coach at Temple and Miami from 2006-2015, Golden was Detroit’s tight ends coach from 2016-2017 and linebackers coach from 2018-2019.
The Bengals fired Lou Anarumo as defensive coordinator after the end of the regular season.
The alleged burglars at Joe Burrow’s have been brought to justice.
Via Karin Johnson of WLWT.com, four Chilean nationals have been arrested for burglarizing a home that, based on police report, strongly suggests that the home belongs to Burrow.
Per the report, Alexander Chavez, Bastian Morales, Jordan Sanchez, and Sergio Cabello have been charged with participating in a criminal gang, engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, obstructing official business, and possession of criminal tools.
The official documents don’t specifically name Burrow, explaining generally that the quartet was arrested as part of “an ongoing investigation involving burglaries of multi-million dollar-homes in multiple states” — and that a search of the suspects’ SUV resulted in the retrieval “an old LSU shirt and Bengals hat believed to be stolen from the December 9, 2024 burglary in Hamilton County.”
That’s the day Burrow’s home was robbed, and his home was the only multi-million-dollar home in Hamilton County that was burglarized on that day.
When apprehended on January 10, the suspects provided false names. From the documents: “After the four male Chileans’ true identifications were learned all four males were identified as being illegally in the country or overstayed their permissions.”
In an interview with police, the men said they came to Ohio for a vacation, in order to see snow.
