The Cincinnati Bengals are taking a lot of heat on Monday following their bad loss to the Chicago Bears, and Rex Ryan was happy to get in on the fun.
Ryan was critical of how the Bengals have handled their defense, pointing out that the unit is still bad after the firing of defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo during the offseason. The former New York Jets coach said on ESPN that a new defensive coordinator would probably be the solution again, but he would not be answering their calls.
“They got rid of a highly-respected defensive coordinator in Lou Anarumo,” Ryan said. “So who are you going to bring in there? Buddy Ryan? Bill Belichick? Me? You ain’t gonna afford me.”
NEWS: Rex Ryan says that the #Bengals cannot afford him as a coach.
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) November 3, 2025
“They got rid of a highly respected defensive coordinator in Lou Anarumo. So who are you going to bring in there? Buddy Ryan? Bill Belichick? Me? — you ain't gonna afford me…”
😬😬😬pic.twitter.com/iqT8aGl50U
The Bengals are a notoriously thrifty organization, so Ryan may be arguing that the organization is too cheap to get him. He might also be suggesting the situation is so bad there, he would not do it no matter what they offered him. Either way, it reflects poorly on the organization.
Ryan is right, though, that the Bengals defense has not been much better this year than it was last year. New defensive coordinator Al Golden is already being criticized, but at this point, it’s clear that there are major roster deficiencies and the problems run deeper than any one coach.
The Bengals allowed 47 points to Chicago in Sunday’s loss, marking the eighth straight game in which the team has allowed 27 points or more. It’s very hard for an offense to keep up with that, and frustrations are starting to boil over on that side of the ball.
