A contract extension for a head coach is seen as a vote of confidence from an owner. At times, a one-year extension can be reached to avoid the coach from entering a “lame-duck season,” which has him coaching on the final year of his deal.
Marvin Lewis doesn’t expect that vote of confidence.
And so, he’ll coach on.
The Bengals head coach said Thursday that he doesn’t foresee a contract extension before the 2017 season. He downplayed what effect that has on him.
“It’s not really a subject that’s on my mind,” Lewis said to Katherine Terrell of ESPN. “I don’t think it’s on (owner Mike Brown’s) mind, either. I’ve gone into many seasons without a new contract. It’s not a focus for me.”
Naturally, it will be a focus for others.
That’s part of the issue in not doing one.
No coach in Bengals history has won more games than Lewis, who owns a 118-110-3 record across 14 years. Those marks, however, include seven playoff games. The franchise has lost all seven under Lewis, including five one-and-done appearances from 2011 to 2015.
An extension for Lewis may not come until the Bengals win a playoff game next January.
If they don’t, it may not come at all.