Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis got a one-year contract extension on Friday. His contract, which was renewed after the 2010 season, would have expired this year.
This year will be Lewis’s 12th season as a coach, which is a franchise record. The Bengals were 11-5 last year and they won the AFC North. However they lost to the San Diego Chargers in the wild card round. Lewis has led the Bengals to the playoffs the last three seasons. They are 0-5 in the playoffs however. Lewis has a 90-90-1 record with the Bengals, and the 90 wins are a team record, according to ESPN. Sam Wyche has the second most Bengals wins with 64.
''I'm blessed to continue to do a job I love here in Cincinnati,'' Lewis told the Associated Press. ''I truly appreciate the commitment by our management to continue to enable us to build an NFL championship team.''
Lewis has a challenge ahead of him for this year. The Bengals have lost their offensive and defensive coordinators to the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins. In addition to the coordinators they have lost a total of five players. They could lose a sixth player if wide receiver Andrew Hawkins goes to the Cleveland Browns. The Bengals have also resigned three players this offseason.
It will be interesting to see if Lewis can lead the Bengals to a fourth straight playoff appearance with all the changes the Bengals have made.