Browns defensive end Myles Garrett set the single-season sack record during the 2025 season and he also became one of three unanimous choices for the Associated Press All-Pro team.
All 50 voters selected Garrett as one of their choices at edge rusher in this year’s voting. Those voters also unanimously selected Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua and Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for this year’s first team.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford got the nod over Drake Maye at quarterback, which opens up the possibility of a split with MVP for the second straight season. Stafford got 31 votes while the Patriots quarterback got 18 with Bills quarterback Josh Allen getting the other one.
Stafford joins kicker Gary Anderson as the only players to be named a first-team All-Pro for the first time in their 17th season or later.
The full All-Pro teams appear below:
First team
Offense
Quarterback — Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Running Back — Bijan Robinson, Atlanta
Fullback — Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco
Wide Receivers — Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams; Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle; Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati
All Purpose — Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco
Tight End — Trey McBride, Arizona
Left Tackle — Garrett Bolles, Denver
Left Guard — Joe Thuney, Chicago
Center — Creed Humphrey, Kansas City
Right Guard — Quinn Meinerz, Denver
Right Tackle — Penei Sewell, Detroit
Defense
Edge Rushers — Myles Garrett, Cleveland; Will Anderson Jr., Houston; Micah Parsons, Green Bay
Interior Linemen — Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee; Zach Allen, Denver
Linebackers — Jack Campbell, Detroit; Jordyn Brooks, Miami
Cornerbacks — Derek Stingley Jr., Houston; Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia
Slot cornerback — Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia
Safeties — Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore; Kevin Byard, Chicago
Special Teams
Placekicker — Will Reichard, Minnesota
Punter — Jordan Stout, Baltimore
Kick Returner — Ray Davis, Buffalo
Punt Returner — Chimera Dike, Tennessee
Special Teamer — Devon Key, Denver
Long Snapper — Ross Matiscik, Jacksonville
Second team
Offense
Quarterback — Drake Maye, New England
Running Back — James Cook, Buffalo
Fullback — Patrick Ricard, Baltimore
Wide Receivers — George Pickens, Dallas; Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit; Chris Olave, New Orleans
All Purpose — Bijan Robinson, Atlanta
Tight End — Kyle Pitts, Atlanta
Left Tackle — Trent Williams, San Francisco
Left Guard — Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis
Center — Aaron Brewer, Miami
Right Guard — Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta
Right Tackle — Darnell Wright, Chicago
Defense
Edge Rushers — Brian Burns, New York Giants; Danielle Hunter, Houston; Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit
Interior Linemen — Leonard Williams, Seattle; Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh
Linebackers — Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville; Ernest Jones IV, Seattle
Cornerbacks — Patrick Surtain II, Denver; Devon Witherspoon, Seattle
Slot cornerback — Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers
Safeties — Jessie Bates III, Atlanta; Talanoa Hufanga, Denver; Xavier McKinney, Green Bay (Hufanga and McKinney were tied for the second-team spot)
Special teams
Placekicker — Brandon Aubrey, Dallas
Punter — Michael Dickson, Seattle
Kick Returner — Kavontae Turpin, Dallas
Punt Returner — Marcus Jones, New England
Special Teamer — Del’Shawn Phillips, Los Angeles Chargers
Long Snapper — Andrew DePaola, Minnesota
When Bengals owner Mike Brown announced that director of player personnel Duke Tobin and coach Zac Taylor will return in 2026, some questioned whether the Bengals have the right people in place to turn things around. Tobin has no doubts.
“If your question is, ‘Do I have confidence in myself?’ I do. But most importantly, I have confidence in the people and in the processes that we have here. It is not up to me to determine whether I am here or not,” Tobin said, via the Associated Press.
So if the people are staying the same, what needs to change?
“Our record,” Tobin answered. “We need to win games that we should win, instead of finding ways to lose games that we should win.”
The Bengals lost five games by six points or less, and Tobin said winning the close games would have made all the difference in their 6-11 season.
“You have to find ways to close games, and that has been our number one problem,” Tobin said. “I think that last game against Cleveland is just a microcosm of what we’ve had. The defense goes out there and really pitches one of the finest games you could have, and instead the offense gives 14 points up [on turnovers], and we lose the game. We have to get to that point where that focus, strain and finish is in our DNA. Our players have to understand that.”
With the same people staying in place in 2026, the biggest question facing the Bengals will be whether they can keep Joe Burrow healthy. In 2025 they went 5-3 in games Burrow Started, 1-5 in games Joe Flacco started and 0-3 in games Jake Browning started. If Burrow had stayed healthy for 17 games, the Bengals might still be playing, and Tobin wouldn’t be facing questions about whether he deserves to keep his job.
The Browns interviewed a pair of head coaching candidates on Thursday and they’re set to meet with two more on Friday.
Albert Breer of SI.com reports that they will interview Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde and Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher. They interviewed their own offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz on Thursday.
Interviews at this stage in the process are held remotely. Durde would not be available for a second, in-person interview until the Seahawks are eliminated or the week off between the conference title game and the Super Bowl.
The Browns have also requested an interview with Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
The Browns have requested to interview Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher for the head coaching vacancy, Dianna Russini of TheAthletic.com reports.
Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde are also interviewing.
The Browns hired head coach Kevin Stefanski on Jan. 5.
Pitcher has served as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator the past two seasons. It is his first coordinator job.
He began his NFL coaching career as an offensive assistant with the Bengals in 2016, earned a promotion to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2019 and quarterbacks coach in 2020.
Pitcher was a scout for the Colts for four seasons before joining the Cincinnati coaching staff.
With six vacancies (other than the Ravens) and seven teams calling former Ravens coach John Harbaugh after his dismissal on Tuesday, at least one team without a vacancy made the call.
So which team(s) called? (It’s possible that more than one team without an opening called, if at least one of the teams currently looking for a coach did not.)
Here’s a look at the possibilities. And don’t blame us for doing it; Harbaugh’s agent lit the fuse by disclosing that seven teams called.
Jets: By all appearances, first-year coach Aaron Glenn lost the locker room. The final five games, with a minus-137 point differential (27.4 per game), was arguably the worst stretch ever for a franchise with plenty of rough spots. Still, owner Woody Johnson has shown no inclination to fire Glenn — and to owe him more than $40 million to not coach the team.
Dolphins: Michigan man Stephen Ross once pursued Michigan man Jim Harbaugh while the Dolphins still had a coach under contract. Why wouldn’t Ross make the call about Harbaugh’s brother, given the currently tenuous status of Mike McDaniel?
Bills: What if the Bills lose this weekend? Is it crazy to think the Bills would consider making a change? That said, swapping out one coach who failed to get to the Super Bowl during the prime years of a generational talent for another coach who failed to get to the Super Bowl during the prime years of a generational talent seems odd.
Steelers: If the team thinks Mike Tomlin, who seems to have a TV offer in his back pocket, could be leaving after the playoff run ends, it needs to be thinking about the next coach. Why not Harbaugh?
Bengals: There’s no way Mike Brown will finance Zac Taylor’s buyout and pay whatever it would take to get Harbaugh.
Colts: Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon has said Shane Steichen will be back. Could she view Harbaugh as an upgrade who may not be available if a change is made in 2027?
Chiefs: Andy Reid will be back for 2026. The phone call (if it happened) may have been as simple as, “Keep us in mind if you’re thinking about taking a year off and returning in 2027.”
Cowboys: See the Chiefs.
Commanders: Dan Quinn’s team badly regressed in 2025. Why wouldn’t owner Josh Harris at least consider the possibility of an upgrade to Harbaugh?
Packers: New team president Ed Policy made it clear in June that it’s an up-or-out year for coach Matt LaFleur and G.M. Brian Gutekunst. Could Policy have wanted to let Harlan (the son of former Packers CEO Bob Harlan) know that there may be a reason to let the wild-card round play out before making any decisions?
Buccaneers: There’s a vague sense still lingering that ownership could make a coaching change. Harbaugh’s availability could be the thing that pushes the Bucs off the fence.
At least one of those teams made the call. Maybe more than one. And if one of those teams fires its head coach in the coming days, it could be the first step toward hiring John Harbaugh.
Former Bengals wide receiver Jordan Shipley is hospitalized in Austin, Texas after an accident on his ranch.
In a statement released through the University of Texas, Shipley’s family said he was working on a machine that caught fire and caused “severe burns” to Shipley’s body. Shipley was taken to a local hospital and then flown to Austin for further treatment.
Shipley was in critical but stable condition at the time the statement was released on Tuesday night.
Shipley was a two-time All-American at Texas and is the school’s all-time leader in receptions. He was a Bengals third-round pick in 2010 and played in 17 games over two seasons with the team. He also played for the Buccaneers and Jaguars in 2012.
Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt is kicking off the offseason by spending five days in jail.
Taylor-Britt was sentenced after pleading guilty to charges of reckless driving and driving without a valid license in court on Tuesday and he was taken straight to Hamilton County Jail to serve his sentence. Taylor-Britt originally faced five charges stemming from separate incidents in June and September.
An attorney for Taylor-Britt asked the court to sentence his client to community service, but the judge called the five-day sentence “generous.”
“That’s a gift,” the judge said, via Chelsea Sick of WKRC. “Five days instead of 30. He’s got to do them now.”
When contacted by WKRC, the NFL said it is aware of the matter but declined further comment about potential discipline.
Taylor-Britt appeared in eight games for the Bengals before a November foot injury ended his season. The 2025 season was the final one on his rookie deal with the Bengals, so Taylor-Britt could move on as a free agent this offseason.
Quarterback Joe Burrows knows changes need to be made in Cincinnati. None of those changes will include the 2025 coaches.
Coach Zac Taylor told reporters on Monday that he plans to make no changes to the staff.
Those assistants ultimately may be insulated by the same thing that has gotten Taylor another year, despite only two playoff appearances in seven years and three straight years of no postseason berths. The money.
For the Bengals, it’s always about the money. Football is business. They only say “football is family” because it’s good for business to say “football is family.” They don’t want the fans to see it like the black ink/red ink reality that it is. They want the fans to think they’re trying to win the Super Bowl, every year.
That’s not just the Bengals. For all teams, it’s about making as much money as possible. And part of the effort to maximize profits is to get fans to show up for games and buy overpriced stuff. Acting like they desperately want to hoist a Lombardi Trophy is simply part of the grift.
With 32 teams, any owner who hinges their happiness on winning a championship is setting themselves up for likely failure. Even with a quality team, there are too many factors beyond anyone’s control. It all comes down to weather or bad calls (which for the other team are good calls) or the unpredictable bounces of an oblong leather ball.
One team gets to have a parade every year. All teams get to perform an annual goose step to the bank.
For the Bengals, who aren’t operated by a multi-billionaires who can treat the football teams as a write-off or a vanity project, the football business is ownership’s only business. If they fire a coach and owe him money, the buyout comes straight from the profit margin. Thus, above any other factors, owing Taylor seven or eight figures is enough to justify running it back.
Ditto for members of the coaching staff to whom the Bengals have ongoing financial obligations. Firing a coach and hiring an assistant means paying for two coaches instead of one.
Burrow, like any other player, doesn’t care about that. And as he enters his seventh NFL season, he’s one away from the number of years it took Carson Palmer to realize that the Bengals prioritize making money over winning championships.
As long as the fans keep falling for it, nothing will change.
There will not be a coaching change in Cincinnati.
Bengals owner Mike Brown announced on Monday morning that Zac Taylor will remain the team’s head coach despite a third straight season without a playoff berth. Director of player personnel Duke Tobin will also remain with the team.
“Our focus is on building a team that can consistently compete at the highest level, with the goal of winning championships,” Brown said in a statement. “After thoughtful consideration, I am confident that Duke Tobin and Zac Taylor are the right leaders to guide us forward. They have proven they can build and lead teams that compete for championships. We trust their plans and expect to return to our desired level of success.”
Taylor is 52-63-1 in seven seasons as the head coach of the Bengals. The team has made the playoffs twice since he was hired and they advanced to the AFC title game both times. They went to the Super Bowl after the 2021 season and lost to the Rams before losing to the Chiefs in the conference championship the next year.
Zac Taylor was unhappy that Myles Garrett broke the NFL’s single-season sacks record against his team. The Bengals head coach appeared more upset that officials briefly paused the game to allow the Browns pass rusher and his teammates celebrate his 23rd sack of the season.
“There’s five minutes left in our season,” Taylor said, via Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports. “We’re playing for our lives here. I was never told that we’re going to stop the game. In a critical moment like that, the refs just said that they made a decision that they were going to stop the game. They said they tried to do it as quickly as possible. I didn’t feel that.”
The Bengals trailed 17-12 with 5:16 remaining when Garrett got around left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to get to Joe Burrow for a 5-yard loss. The Browns were celebrating with Garrett as the Bengals tried to run hurry-up, potentially to try to prevent exactly what happened.
“We didn’t sub,” Taylor said. “We’re trying to be on the ball and go and play with tempo. The umpire just held the ball, so that we couldn’t do anything. And I’m yelling at Joe, ‘Get on the ball.’ . . . And so again, trying to get an answer was not easy. They just said that they made a decision as a crew to stop the game when that happened. I guess it didn’t matter when it happened.”
Taylor reiterated that officials did not inform him in their pre-game meeting that they would pause the game if Garrett got the record.
The Bengals did take the lead on their next possession but lost on Andre Szmyt’s 49-yard field goal as time expired.
Neither team had anything at stake in the game, with both teams long ago eliminated from postseason contention.
