After spending time coaching with Deion Sanders at Colorado University, the former Bengal has made his way back to the NFL, this time as a coach.
As the NFL offseason is underway for all but the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, the hirings for every general manager, head coach, and coordinator job are just about complete. Already seeing some of the most movement among these positions in NFL history, teams are still looking to complete their staffs by filling assistant coaching roles as they gear up to contend next season.
The Cincinnati Bengals made headlines early this offseason for being one of the few teams to miss the playoffs and not make any major personnel changes. Not only did they miss the playoffs this season, but Cincinnati has failed to take the core of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins to the playoffs since their Conference Championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2022 season.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) | © Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
After this continued failure despite having three (four with Joe Flacco) Pro Bowl players on the offense, Cincinnati ownership decided not to move on from general manager Duke Tobin. As a result, Tobin went with his current head coach, Zac Taylor, and coordinators, Dan Pitcher (offense), Al Golden (defense), and Darrin Simmons (special teams).
All three of the other teams in the AFC North have hired new head coaches already this offseason. The Baltimore Ravens hired former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, the Cleveland Browns hired former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and the Pittsburgh Steelers signed head coach Mike McCarthy from the Dallas Cowboys in 2024.
Joining McCarthy and his staff in Pittsburgh is a former Bengals player who was previously a defensive line coach at Colorado University with Deion Sanders.
Making his official return to the NFL since his retirement following the 2020 season is Domata Peko. After spending the first 11 years of his career in Cincinnati, the former No. 123 pick in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft finished his career bouncing from the Denver Broncos to the Ravens to the Arizona Cardinals.
This marks just the third year of Peko’s coaching career. He began as a defensive assistant for the Cowboys in 2024, the same year he was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame. Last season, the 15-year veteran coached under “Prime Time” Deion Sanders in Boulder as a defensive line coach for Colorado University. Quickly climbing the coaching ranks, Peko finds himself with an NFL coaching job, and only time will tell how soon he climbs higher within the Steelers organization.
As a Bengal, Peko was an energetic defensive tackle who ranked among the league’s best in tackling. In his 11 years as a Bengal, the former Michigan State Spartan recorded 517 tackles, 46 quarterback hits, 39 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, four fumbles recovered, and passes defended.