By Gavin Guffey, Staff Writer

As Super Bowl LX looms, the offseason coaching carousel has begun. 

The AFC North, home to the Cincinnati Bengals, is perhaps the most affected by changes in coaching so far. Three of the four teams in the division have parted ways with their previous coach, while one kept its staff intact. 

The only team that has not is the third-place finishing Bengals. Cincinnati has elected to keep head coach Zac Taylor, who is allegedly under contract through the 2027 season, but has not had full transparency in confirming that to the public. 

The Bengals finished the 2025-26 season with a 6-11 record. However, the season was  plagued with injuries, as two stars, quarterback Joe Burrow and defensive end Trey Hendrickson, saw extensive time on injured reserve. 

While some fans called for Taylor’s removal as head coach, the Bengals decided to keep him. He has previously stated that he has no plans to change any of the coaching staff. 

“I’m not a fan, but it’s not very surprising, considering ownership and how they’ve been in the past,” junior accounting major and Bengals fan Dixon Ryan said.

The Steelers finished 10-7, along with first in the AFC North, earning a playoff berth against the Houston Texans. The Steelers met a 30-6 defeat, before head coach Mike Tomlin  stepped down following the end of the season.

Tomlin coached 19 seasons for Pittsburgh. Of these 19 years, he never had a losing record, won eight AFC North division titles, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl victory. 

The Steelers recently hired Mike McCarthy as head coach. He previously coached the  Packers for 13 seasons, and the Cowboys for four, before taking the 2025 season off after he and the Cowboys could not come to contract agreements. 

“I like it. I think, in my opinion, we needed to go find an offensive-minded coach with good QBs in his past. Mike McCarthy has developed Aaron Rodgers,” first-year finance major and Steelers fan Brady Beganny said. Beganny highlighted how success with previous quarterbacks can help McCarthy in his new role. “Same with Dak Prescott too, he took a big leap once McCarthy got there. And I see a guy like Will Howard, and I think having an offensive coach will help him a lot to develop,” Beganny said. 

The Browns also removed their head coach, firing Kevin Stefanski in early 2026. Stefanski  had previously been named Coach of the Year twice in his six-year tenure with Cleveland but had a combined 8-26 record in his last two seasons. 

Cleveland has now hired Todd Monken as its head coach, who previously served as offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. 

“I do like Tom Monken himself, but I think what made the hire a bad hire is that we lost  Schwartz. Jim Schwartz, the defensive coordinator, had to leave because he was angry about not being promoted himself,” first-year business undecided major and Browns fan Sean Curran said.

“Last year, we had one of the best defenses in the NFL, and losing him, I think, significantly  decreases the production of that unit, but also will lead a couple of our players to leave too.” 

Stefanski has now found a new home as head coach in Atlanta with the Falcons. 

Finally, the Ravens fired head coach John Harbaugh in early 2026 after a season-ending  26-24 loss to the Steelers to finish 8-9 and miss a playoff berth. Harbaugh coached Baltimore for  18 years, with one Super Bowl victory, 12 playoff appearances and six AFC North titles. 

The Ravens recently hired Jesse Minter as the new head coach, who formerly served as defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers, and Harbaugh has signed on as head coach of the New York Giants. 

Other coaching changes around the rest of the league include the Buffalo Bills promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady, the Tennessee Titans hiring Robert Saleh after being defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins signing Jeff Hafley, former defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers.  Additionally, the Arizona Cardinals hired Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to sign Klint Kubiak, offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, following the Super Bowl.