Beginning his NFL career as an offensive assistant, Taylor was the quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Rams when they appeared in Super Bowl LIII.

In 2021, Taylor led the Bengals to their first playoff win since 1990, ending the longest active drought in the four major North American sports, en route to an appearance in Super Bowl LVI.

During his time with the Bengals, Taylor has won five postseason games, matching the franchise total prior to his hiring as head coach.

After his 2004 season Taylor looked at multiple NCAA Division I schools, including Memphis, Marshall and Nebraska.

Taylor had a rough start, statistically speaking, in his 2005 year at Nebraska, completing 39 of 89 passes for 399 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions in his first three games.

However, in his fourth game, Taylor had a breakout day against Iowa State, throwing for a school record 431 yards on 36 of 55 passing with two touchdowns.

In his 2006 opener against Louisiana Tech, Taylor showed significant improvement over his season-opener the previous year, completing 22 of 33 attempts for 287 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

[16] Taylor was seen as a "rising star in the coaching ranks" by the Bearcats, thanks to his experience in the NFL and his job developing Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

[11] That season, Taylor coached quarterback Jared Goff to the NFC Championship and an appearance in Super Bowl LIII on February 3, 2019.

By beating the Jets 22–6, Taylor recorded his first win as the Bengals' coach and snapped a franchise-record 13-game losing streak dating back to the previous season.

[35] Taylor began his third season with a healthy Joe Burrow under center, having recovered from his knee injury the previous year.

Facing the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, the Bengals won on a last second field goal in overtime by rookie kicker Evan McPherson.

Facing the 3–1 Green Bay Packers at home in Week 5, Taylor and his Bengals scored a game-tying touchdown with 3:27 to play at 22–22.

[37] The following week, Taylor helped secure the Bengals' first AFC North division title since 2015 when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs.

Taylor then led the Bengals to their first playoff win since the 1990 season after they beat the Las Vegas Raiders 26–19 in the Wild Card Round.

[38] In the Divisional Round, the Bengals beat the top-seeded Tennessee Titans 19–16 for their first road playoff win in franchise history and advanced to their first AFC Championship Game since 1988.

While the details were not disclosed, prior to the extension, Taylor's $3.5 million annual salary was the lowest amongst the 32 head coaches in the NFL.

[45][46][47] The Bengals won the AFC North again, marking the first time in franchise history that the team earned division titles in back-to-back seasons.

[51] Cincinnati lost the rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship at Arrowhead Stadium on January 29, 2023, by a score of 23–20, ending a ten-game winning streak by the Bengals.