Although Marvin Lewis has signed an extension to remain as Bengals head coach, he’ll return in 2018 without his defensive coordinator. Paul Guenther will leave Cincinnati after 13 seasons to explore other opportunities, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
Guenther, whose contract has expired, has enjoyed a long working relationship with Lewis, as the two overlapped for one year with the Redskins before Guenther was hired by the Bengals in 2005. After serving as a defensive staffer for nine seasons, Guenther took over as Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator after Mike Zimmer left to become the Vikings’ head coach. The Bengals have finished 14th, 10, 17th, and 14th in defensive DVOA in four full seasons under Guenther.
While he wasn’t promoted to head coach in Cincinnati given Lewis’ continued presence, Guenther should quickly resurface as a defensive play-caller elsewhere in the league. The Raiders, who will presumably hire Jon Gruden in the coming days, are reportedly interested in Guenther, as are the Redskins, who employ Guenther’s former coworker Jay Gruden as head coach.
Although unlikely, Guenther could also generate head coaching interest now that he’s on the open market. Guenther was linked to the Browns and Eagles head coaching vacancies in 2016, but never actually interviewed for either position.
writing was on the wall if Lewis didn’t leave.
Gosh damn, Paul! 13 seasons in that hole of a franchise? Take a season off, get some fresh air.