‘You’re lucky you have a job’: Stephen A. Smith slams Bengals head coach

On September 14, 2025, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith appeared on the show First Take to discuss the Cincinnati Bengals and their performance under head coach Zach Taylor. The team has struggled with a losing regular-season record of 52-63-1 under Taylor's leadership, despite the presence of talented players like wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and quarterback Joe Burrow. The Bengals made it to the Super Bowl in the 2021-22 season but lost to the Los Angeles Rams 23-20.

During the segment, Smith criticized coach Taylor for his failure to prepare the team during the offseason. He said, "@stephenasmith calls out Cincinnati Bengals’ head coach Zac Taylor for his inability to prepare his team for regular-season play during the offseason. '[Zac Taylor], you’re lucky you have a job!'"

Smith added, "My only regret is that I didn’t see Zac Taylor, so I can tell him to his face, ‘you’re lucky you have a job.’ This man, and I’m going to say it again, there needs to be an investigation with this man in the offseason, what the hell is he doing that his team is never prepared." The coach's performance since arriving in Cincinnati has been consistently poor, with a mediocre record of 1-11 in his first six seasons.

Taylor's team's regular-season performance in September and October has been particularly concerning, with a record of 9-10-1 in September and 10-10 in October.