Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals will now have to face Hue Jackson twice per season

Published Jan. 13, 2016 5:45 p.m. ET

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Of the teams that were considering Hue Jackson as their next head coach, the Browns are probably the last team the Bengals wanted him to end up with.

Jackson knows the ins and outs of the Bengals organization after spending seven years in Cincinnati over two different stints. He especially knows quarterback Andy Dalton, who Jackson guided to the best season of his five-year career in 2015. 

The hiring of Jackson in Cleveland isn't going to erase the wide disparity in talent between the two intrastate rivals overnight, but facing their old offensive coordinator certainly gives Marvin Lewis and the Bengals more to think about twice each season for the foreseeable future. Of course, the term foreseeable should be taken with a grain of salt in Cleveland considering how the Browns have churned through head coaches.

Assuming Browns owner Jimmy Haslam gives Jackson more than two years to turn the team around, the AFC North just got that much tougher for the Bengals, so much so that Lewis made a last-ditch effort to keep Jackson in Cincinnati, according to NFL Network's Mike Silver.

With strong interest from the 49ers, Jackson also reportedly had an interview set up with the New York Giants, but the Browns wouldn't let him get on the plane. 

The Bengals are probably wishing he did. While they undoubtedly feel he is deserving of becoming a head coach, this is probably the last sight they wanted to see.

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