Chosen in the second round (38th overall) of the 1984 NFL Draft out of Maryland, Norman "Boomer" Esiason arrived in Southwestern Ohio as the designated heir apparent to franchise legend Ken Anderson. Despite falling to the second round, Esiason held the distinction of being the first quarterback taken in his draft class. Armed with a fiery swagger, a cannon for a left arm, and an innate knack for play-action deception, he stepped into the starting spot and ushered in a high-octane era of Cincinnati football.

Esiason brought commanding physical stature and left-handed pocket poise to the position. Operating under head coach Sam Wyche, he became the field general for Cincinnati's innovative "No-Huddle" offense. Esiason possessed one of the smoothest, most convincing play-fake motions in NFL history, freezing linebackers with subtle ball handling before launching deep vertical strikes off play-action. His quick mental processing allowed him to dictate tempo, catch defenses in bad personnel groupings, and spread the ball across the field with touch and velocity.

Esiason saw his first extensive action as a rookie in 1984, starting four games while learning behind Anderson. By 1985, he assumed full-time starting duties, leading Cincinnati to a 9-7 record while throwing for 3,049 yards and 27 touchdowns.

In 1986, he made his first significant step into elite levels by earning his initial Pro Bowl. Esiason totaled 3,959 passing yards and 24 touchdowns, guiding the NFL's best offense and helping the Bengals attain a 10-win season. Following a challenging, strike-shortened 1987 season across the league, Esiason rebounded with one of the best individual quarterback performances of the 1980s.

Esiason’s peak campaign came in 1988 when he led the league's most potent offense. He posted a 97.4 passer rating, threw for 3,572 yards, and scored 28 touchdowns with only 14 interceptions. He earned the AP NFL MVP award along with First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections. Significantly, Esiason led the Bengals to a 12–4 season and an AFC Championship appearance, bringing Cincinnati back to Super Bowl XXIII for a memorable rematch against the San Francisco 49ers.

Esiason upheld his elite level over the subsequent two years, securing Pro Bowl selections in 1989 and 1990. During a 1990 game against the Los Angeles Rams, he delivered a remarkable performance, throwing for 522 yards—the third-highest single-game passing record in NFL history.

Traded to his hometown New York Jets before the 1993 season, Esiason demonstrated he still had plenty of skill by earning his fourth Pro Bowl selection in his first year in East Rutherford. After playing for New York and Arizona, Esiason returned to Cincinnati for a memorable final season in 1997. Coming off the bench late in the season, he went 4-1 as a starter, throwing 13 touchdowns with only two interceptions, finishing his career on a high note.

In his 10 total seasons with the Bengals (1984–1992, 1997), Esiason played in 134 regular-season games, accruing 27,149 passing yards and 187 touchdowns alongside 1,293 rushing yards and 7 rushing scores. At the time of his departure, he ranked right beside Ken Anderson at the top of virtually every franchise passing leaderboard. In 2023, the organization celebrated his legacy by inducting Esiason into the Cincinnati Bengals Ring of Honor.