Marvin Lewis Signs On With Bengals For Two More Years

Marvin Lewis and the Bengals have signed an extension that will keep the head coach in Cincinnati for at least two more years.

ESPN reports that the last time Lewis and the Bengals signed an agreement, the team was coming off an expected playoff season, where they finished a disappointing 4-12 (January 2011). This time, however, it appears they are doing it the right way, having Lewis sign the extension before the season begins.

This contract extension will wipe away any uncertainty that the young team may have about their coach possibly leaving, allowing them to focus on winning. The Bengals are coming back after a 9-7 season last year, as well as a trip to the playoffs. Lewis stated during a news conference on Tuesday that:

“I’m glad this is all behind now and we can move forward and coach. I’m really happy to get the extension done and move forward. And just I think the excitement with what we’ve done, our football team, there still is a lot of work to do. The goals that we have in place are very, very important to achieve. … There is nobody in Cincinnati who wants to win more than that man upstairs, and it’s my job to get him there.”

CBS Sports notes that, along with Marvin Lewis’s announcement about the contract extension, Bengals owner Mike Brown stated:

“Coming off a playoff finish last year, with a solid coaching staff and good young players, continuity at the top gives us our best chance to do well. We are excited about the team’s prospects and happy to have completed this process with Marvin before the 2012 preseason schedule begins.”

Lewis is currently in his 10th season with the Bengals, and has the third-longest current tenure with one team. Jason La Canfora with CBS Sports writes that:

“In 2010, Lewis was up front that he was possibly going to explore other options, and it took something of a sales job to keep him. With the growth and development of the team since then, all the young pieces and the playoff appearance last year, the backdrop was much different now. The team has also beefed up its scouting staff and infrastructure since 2010, which were keys for the head coach.”

Are you glad that Marvin Lewis extended his contract with the Bengals?