The 4-10 record and their star quarterback being sidelined due to an injury have resulted in the Cincinnati Bengals missing the playoffs this season. Now, are the Bengals looking to shake things up, starting with their Head Coach, Zac Taylor?

Some time ago, The Athletic made a prediction that head coach Taylor, who has two years remaining in his contract, isn’t leaving the Bengals anytime soon. Interestingly, the prediction has been confirmed by Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

“There are no signs the Bengals are preparing to make major changes,” read the report. “Coach Zac Taylor has two years left on his contract, and all indications are that Taylor should return.”

Owner Mike Brown’s confidence in Taylor, believing he’s the leader the Bengals need. After all, he coached the team to win Super Bowl LVI in 2021 and led them to the AFC title game the following year. Historically, Brown isn’t one who “pay coaches not to coach.” He doesn’t hesitate in making changes when needed, firing coaches like David Shula in 1996 and David LeBeau in 2001. He isn’t the only one to have confidence in the Bengals HC. Following Cincinnati’s brutal loss to the Baltimore Ravens, where they couldn’t put a single score on the board, quarterback Burrow backed his head coach, Taylor.

“A lot of confidence,” Burrow told the reporters. “Because I know how hard people work at it. We’ve got the right people. It starts with players playing better, and today it was me.”

The Bengals may not have a Taylor concern, but they surely have a Burrow concern. For some weeks now, there have been rumors that the two-time Pro Bowler is thinking about calling it quits.

“You think about a lot of things,” he said when asked if he plans to play elsewhere. “I mean, you think about it, but you think about a lot of different things in your life, just like everybody does.”

Though these were just honest confessions by the quarterback, they don’t explicitly say he’s coming back. To say the least, he isn’t happy about his performance. In Week 15, he had a poor passer rating of 58.2 along with 225 yards, two interceptions, and no trace of a touchdown. Well, the season hasn’t been kind to him. He missed three seasons due to a turf toe injury. So, could we feel the winds of retirement in the near future?

Is Joe Burrow planning to retire?

There’s no doubt that the two-time Comeback Player of the Year isn’t happy with how things are, but even though some are predicting his departure, retirement is the last thing on his mind. He still has the same love for gridiron as he always had, so he intends to play for a long time before he decides to call it quits.

“I’m going to be playing for a long time. I expect to play for a long time, and I expect to play well and consistently great for a long time,” said Burrow. “ I do everything I need to do for my body to prepare it for these games and for long-term success, and so I plan on doing it for a long time at a high level.”

Burrow is inspired by legends like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, and even Joe Flacco, who have proved that age is just a number for success in the league. Despite being in their 40s, they played at a high level. Rodgers and Flacco are still doing it (by ignoring the cynics) — all for their sheer love for football. That’s the list Burrow wants to join, so we aren’t going to hear retirement bells anytime soon. After all, the guy is just 29.