After going undrafted at the 2007 NFL Draft, he was signed as an UDFA by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which was cut short before he could make training camp. He later joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL). He later joined Texas A&M as a graduate assistant, which led to him becoming the tight ends coach. He worked for 11 years in this line before becoming head coach in 2019.

Zac Taylor Personal Information

Zac Taylor's Early Life, Personal Life, and Family Background

Zac Taylor was born in Norman, Oklahoma on May 10, 1983 in a football family. His brother Press Taylor is an offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars (as of September 2024). His father-in-law Mike Sherman was the head coach for the Green Bay Packers from 2000-2005.

Zac Taylor's Net Worth & Career Earnings

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Zac Taylor has a net worth of $4 million as of September 2024.

Zac Taylor House

According to Crazy Luxury Homes, Taylor bought a home in Queen City in 2019, when he first moved there. The Bengals' head coach picked up a grand four-bedroom home in the Mount Lookout neighborhood of Cincinnati. The residence is spread across a 5,569-square-foot residence and is a two-story building. It is priced at $1.55 million.

Zac Taylor Contract & Salary

Zac Taylor first signed a 4-year contract in 2019, when he first got the head coaching gig in Cincinnati (via NFL). He was extended in the 2022 through 2026 season by the Cincinnati Bengals after the team reached the 2021 Super Bowl under his tutelage. Taylor’s latest contract provides him an estimated annual salary of $4.5 million according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Zac Taylor Coaching History

Taylor entered the coaching field for the first time in 2008 when he became a graduate assistant at Texa A&M. His first opportunity in the NFL came in the form of assistant quarterbacks coach with the Miami Dolphins in 2012. From there on he coached in the NFL for the next 6 seasons at different positions with 2016 being the exception as he went back to college to spend a year with Cincinnati Bearcats.

Texas A&M (2008 - 2011)

He served for four years as a graduate assistant and tight ends coach under his father-in-law Mike Sherman for the Aggies.

Miami Dolphins (2012 - 2015)

After serving as quarterbacks coach for the first 3 years, Taylor was promoted to interim offensive coordinator in 2015. The team went 2-3 with him serving as an OC while averaging 17 points per game. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins quarterback at the time had multiple 3,000-yard seasons during Zac’s time in Miami.

Cincinnati Bearcats (2016)

He was hired in 2016 to be the Bearcats' offensive coordinator under then-head coach Tommy Tuberville.

Los Angeles Rams (2017 - 2018)

Taylor once again got an opportunity to coach in the NFL, when Los Angeles Rams hired Sean McVay as their new head coach in 2017. Taylor was given the duties of assistant wide receivers coach in his first year in LA, before getting promoted to quarterbacks coach in the following season. Under his tutelage, Rams quarterback at the time, Jared Goff threw for 32 touchdowns (career-high) while also leading LA to the Super Bowl that year.

Cincinnati Bengals (2019 - Present)

Zac Taylor was named Cincinnati Bengals head coach on February 4, 2019. His first year was a disaster as the team went 2-14. The following year, saw his team improve by 2 wins as the Bengals finished the 2020 season with a 4-12 record. However, 2021 was the year when everything came together for Taylor and his team. Cincinnati started the season hot as they went 7-4 in the first eleven games, but cooled down a bit in the end and finished the year with a 10-7 record. Nonetheless, that record was enough for the Bengals to secure their first AFC North title since 2015. Under Zac Taylor, the Cincinnati Bengals managed to break their longstanding playoff drought, by winning their first postseason game since the 1990 season by beating the Las Vegas Raiders. Their magical postseason run did not stop there as they went on to Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs en route to their Super Bowl appearance. But, in Super Bowl LVI, Cincinnati came short against the eventual SB winners Los Angeles Rams.Even though Taylor and Boys had a slow start to 2022, by losing their first two games, they still went on to secure another AFC North title by winning 12 of their next 14 games. This marked the first time in franchise history that the Bengals won back-to-back divisional titles. However, their dream to reach a second consecutive Super Bowl was thwarted by the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. The following season, saw Taylor coached Bengals finish with a 9-8 record and miss the playoffs after their star quarterback Joe Burrow got injured during the midseason. By the end of 2023, Zac Taylor has a 37-44-1 record in the regular season while going 5-2 in the postseason.

Zac Taylor's Playing Career

As mentioned before, he played for Wake Forest, Butler Grizzlies and the Nebraska Cornhuskers before entering the 2007 NFL draft.

Wake Forest (2002 - 2003)

In two seasons with Wake Forest, Zac only played in 3 games after getting redshirted in his first season. He only completed 1 pass for 3 yards in his entire tenure with the Demon Deacons.

Butler Grizzlies (2004)

He started 10 games with the Grizzlies and went undefeated. He finished the season by passing for 2,682 yards and throwing for 27 touchdowns to just 8 interceptions.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (2005 - 2006)

His best years came in Cornhuskers uniform where he started 26 games in 2 seasons and went 17-9 in those starts. In his final season in 2006, Taylor led Nebraska to a 9-5 record en route to an appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game. He threw for more than 5,800 yards along with 45 touchdowns in his two seasons at Nebraska. He was also the recipient of the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year award for his 2006 performance when he passed for 26 touchdowns to just 8 interceptions.

Zac Taylor Achievements & Awards

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has a couple of awards as a player and coach during his football journey spanning more than two decades.

Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year (2006)

Zac Taylor won the award after leading Nebraska to a 9-5 record. He threw for 3,197 yards and 26 touchdowns to just 8 interceptions that year.

Maxwell Club NFL Coach of the Year (2021)

Zac Taylor was honored with the Maxwell Club NFL Coach of the Year award for taking the Cincinnati Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance since the 1980s.

Most Notable Accomplishments

1. Taylor is the first head coach in Cincinnati Bengals history to lead the franchise to back-to-back divisional titles in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

2. Zac Taylor has the highest number of playoff wins as a head coach in franchise history (5).

3. He led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance in 2021.

Zac Taylor Family

Zac Taylor was born to Sherwood Taylor and Julie Taylor (via New York Post) on May 10, 1983. His father Sherwood played as a defensive back for Oklahoma during his college days. His family consists of one brother and two sisters. Zac is married to Sarah Sherman, with whom he shares 4 kids.

Zac Taylor Siblings

Zac has one younger brother Press Taylor and two younger sisters Kathryn and Quincy. Kathryn has Down syndrome (via New York Post) while not much is known about his other younger sister Quincy. His brother Press Taylor is the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Zac Taylor brother

Zac’s brother’s name is Press Taylor. He started his coaching journey at Tulsa as a graduate assistant in 2011 before coming to Philly as an Offensive quality control coach. His coaching career saw him stay with the Eagles until 2020, where he coached at different positions. He also served as Senior offensive assistant with the Colts for 1 year before taking the offensive coordinator duties in Jacksonville in 2022.

Zac Taylor wife

Zac Taylor’s wife’s name is Sarah Sherman. She is the daughter of former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Sherman. Her father has a long coaching resume in both college and NFL spanning over 4 decades. Sarah’s mother’s name is Karen Sherman and she also has four younger siblings Emily, Matthew, Benjamin, and Selena. Zac and Sarah first met at the University of Nebraska, where Zac was a quarterback and Sarah was a graduate assistant for the football team (via New York Post). The couple married in 2008 (via Just Jared).

Zac Taylor Kids

Zac and Sarah Taylor are parents to four children. The couple are parents to two boys - Brooks and Luke and two girls - Emma and Milly (via Just Jared).