Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis will no longer have to worry about heading into the 2015 season on a lame-duck contract. The club announced today (via Twitter) that it has extended Lewis’ contract by one more year, keeping him locked up through the 2016 campaign.
Lewis, who has been coaching the Bengals since 2003, is the second longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, behind Bill Belichick in New England. During his 12 seasons with the team, Lewis has led Cincinnati to a 100-90-2 regular-season record and has earned a playoff spot six times. However, the Bengals have yet to win a postseason game under Lewis.
Lewis said back at the combine in February that he had yet to speak to the team about a new contract, so discussions for this extension likely occurred within the last couple months. While the extra year gives Lewis a little more security, it wouldn’t necessarily prevent the Bengals from making a coaching change a year from now if the club endures a disappointing 2015 season.