Al Golden agreed to return to the Cincinnati Bengals on Wednesday after three seasons as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator.

The Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator job has been open for more than two weeks now, but there hasn't been much movement on a possible hiring and now we know why: The team was waiting for Notre Dame to finish its season.

The Cincinnati Bengals plan to hire a new defensive coordinator with Al Golden this week, yet the process has come under fire. While Zac Taylor and the Bengals’ familiarity with Golden and vice versa is a good thing and might be the right fit right now, it’s hard to blame those onlookers who feel that the process itself was an issue.

The Cincinnati Bengals have reportedly found their next defensive coordinator – and he has prior experience under head coach Zac Taylor.

Cincinnati is finalizing a deal to hire Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden to run its defense. Golden helped lead the Fighting Irish to Monday night’s College Football Playoff national championship game where they lost to Ohio State. He is expected to officially sign with the team on Thursday.

Cincinnati announced that the club has hired Al Golden for the role ... to the Bengals as defensive coordinator," head coach Zac Taylor said in a statement released by the team.

Former Red Bank Catholic star Al Golden, fresh off Notre Dame's run to the CFP title game, is returning to the NFL as Bengals defensive coordinator

The Cincinnati Bengals have hired Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden as the next defensive coordinator of the franchise, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Wednesday. Golden currently serves as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator after two years on head coach Zac Taylor’s staff from 2020-21.

The Golden Age of the Bengals defense began Thursday when head coach Zac Taylor filled his defensive coordinator job with Al Golden's sweeping resume ranging from the NFL's Wild Card playoffs to college football's wild new tournament format.

A good recent example comes from Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton, who lists the Bengals as one of the top landing spots in the league for Los Angeles Rams wideout Cooper Kupp:

The Cincinnati Bengals have already had an eventful offseason after landing Al Golden as their new defensive coordinator. After helping lead the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to the College Football Championship game,