Andy Dalton's time with the Cincinnati Bengals ended five years ago, but his NFL career was only entering the second half when he was replaced by Joe Burrow.
2025 will be Dalton's 15th year in the NFL, and a 16th is pretty much guaranteed now after the Carolina Panthers signed him to a two-year, $8 million deal with $6 million guaranteed.
Dalton has called Carolina his NFL home since 2023, which was also the only year he didn't play against Cincinnati since being let go in 2020.
Dalton's first revenge meeting came late in 2020 when he beat the Bengals as the QB for the Dallas Cowboys when Dak Prescott and Burrow were both injured. He then helped the Chicago Bears beat Burrow's Bengals early in 2021 before Justin Fields took over to finish the game. The New Orleans Saints signed him as a backup in 2022 and he again started against the Bengals that season, losing a 30-26 barnburner. Two years later, the Bengals faced the Panthers two weeks after Dalton took over for Bryce Young and beat their former QB again, 34-24.
In total, Cincinnati has met Dalton four times in the last five years and has a 2-2 record against him. He won't see the team that drafted him this next season, but he will in 2026.
Bengals are on track to face Andy Dalton's team yet again
The Bengals and Panthers will be guaranteed to play in a 2026 game thanks to the NFL's rotating schedule rules. The entire AFC North and NFC South will play against each other that season just as both divisions did in 2022, completing the four-year rotation between inter-conference divisions.
This, of course, is dependent on the Panthers keeping Dalton for the duration of his two-year deal, but due to the guaranteed cash they've agreed to pay him, there's a good chance he'll still be on the roster in two years. Carolina prioritized retaining the 37-year old passer for Young's continued growth, and Young's rookie contract could be extended through the '26 season if the club exercises his fifth-year option this offseason.
Odds are Young will be the starter QB Cincinnati has to plan for in this game nearly two full calendar years from now, but as we've seen in the last few years, Dalton is just a play away from going up against the franchise he used to represent. His new deal not only increases his impressive longevity in the league, but keeps alive the possibility of going up against the Bengals for what could be the last time.
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