Age, Biography and Wiki
💰 Net worth: $4 Million (2024)
In 2021, Taylor memorably led the Bengals to their first playoff win in 31 years, ultimately clinching the team's first Super Bowl appearance since 1988.
Zac Taylor was born on May 10, 1983 in Norman, Oklahoma. His father, Sherwood, was a former defensive back and captain for the University of Oklahoma. Taylor has two sisters named Kathryn and Quincy, plus a younger brother named Press. As a teen, Taylor went to Norman High School, where he had a record-setting career on the football team.
Having failed to be recruited by any NCAA Division I colleges, Taylor ultimately signed with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in 2002. There, he redshirted his first year and took on a backup position during the next. Taylor then transferred to Butler Community College in Kansas; an immediate success, he helped lead the school to the NJCAA championship game, and earned himself second-team NJCAA All-American honors.
For the 2004-05 season, Taylor was recruited by the University of Nebraska, which was looking for a quarterback. Although he had a rocky start with the Cornhuskers, he soon proved his prowess when he threw for a school record of 431 yards in a game against Iowa State. The remainder of the season consisted of many ups and downs; despite the inconsistency in performance, however, Taylor posted another school record for passing yards in a single season, with 2,653. He went on to have further successes in his final year at Nebraska in 2006, helping bring the Cornhuskers to a record of 9-3 and an appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game. Passing for 2,789 yards and 24 touchdowns during the season, Taylor was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
After graduating from Nebraska, Taylor went undrafted in the 2007 NFL Draft. He ended up being signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but was soon cut. Subsequently, Taylor relocated to Canada to play for the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and spent the season on the team's practice roster.
Taylor began his professional coaching career in the NFL in 2012, when he was appointed assistant quarterbacks coach for the Miami Dolphins. Prior to this, he was an assistant coach at Texas A&M. In late 2015, Taylor was promoted to the Dolphins' interim offensive coordinator. With the team, he had a significant hand in developing quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who became only the second-ever Dolphins quarterback with multiple 3,000-yard seasons.
In early 2016, Taylor became the offensive coordinator for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. The team held him in high esteem, regarding him as a rising star in the ranks of coaching. The following year, Taylor became assistant wide receivers coach for the Los Angeles Rams; he was promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2018.
Taylor was hired as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals in early 2019. He went on to have an incredibly poor start in this position, with the team losing 13 consecutive games for the worst season start in franchise history. Taylor finally recorded his first win as coach in a 22-6 victory over the New York Jets. Ultimately, the Bengals finished the season with a dismal 2-14 record. The 2020 season proved to be somewhat more successful, in part thanks to the addition of Joe Burrow as the team's starting quarterback and the later replacement of him by Ryan Finley. Still, the Bengals finished the season with a paltry 4-11-1 record, marking the third consecutive season of the team finishing last in the AFC North.
After his first two mediocre-to-lousy seasons as head coach of the Bengals, Taylor had smashing success in his third season. With quarterback Joe Burrow recovered from his injury and back on the field, the team went on to post its first winning season since 2015. Moreover, Taylor helped the Bengals notch the AFC North division title by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs; he subsequently led the Bengals to their first playoff win in 31 years in the wild card game against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bengals went on to advance to their first AFC Championship Game since 1988. In that historic game, they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime to secure a Super Bowl appearance, also their first since 1988.
Taylor is married to Sarah Sherman, the daughter of former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Sherman. The two first met in 2005 while attending the University of Nebraska, and began their relationship later after serendipitously bumping into each other at the Rail. Together, the couple has four children named Brooks, Luke, Emma, and Milly.
