Marvin Lewis might not be a big fan of Twitter, but he seems to like life as the head coach of the Bengals.
The Bengals announced Tuesday that they have come to terms on a contract extension with Lewis that will run through the 2014 season. Lewis became the longest-tenured coach in franchise history by leading the team for a ninth season in 2011 and he’d be just the 13th coach since the NFL-AFL merger to spend 12 years with the same team if he remains in charge through 2014.
Lewis has compiled a 69-77-1 record during his time with the Bengals, a record that’s less impressive than the fact that he’s just the second coach in franchise history to lead the team to three playoff appearances. Lewis has also won two division titles, something that only Paul Brown and Sam Wyche have done with the team. Assuming he doesn’t get fired before the end of this season, Lewis will also pass Dennis Green for the longest tenure with one team by any African-American coach.
The Bengals have stressed continuity this offseason by giving extensions to coordinators Jay Gruden and Mike Zimmer as well. Lewis said Tuesday that he was relieved and flattered to have the extension out of the way, but also said that he knows there’s still work to do in Cincinnati.
“One thing hangs over my head. That’s to win a championship,” Lewis said.
If Lewis pulls that off, it will be one more piece of Bengals history for him to call his own.