Cincinnati Bengals Give Marvin Lewis Extension Despite Not Winning A Playoff Game In 13 Seasons

The Cincinnati Bengals hired Marvin Lewis as head coach in 2003 in hopes of returning the franchise to its greatness of the 1980s. Although Lewis has led the Bengals to seven playoff appearances in his 13 years as coach, he has failed to win a single playoff game and the franchise as a whole hasn’t won a playoff game since 1990.

Despite all of that disappointment, the Bengals made the decision to give Lewis a one-year extension that will keep him in Cincinnati through the 2017 season. It sounds as if the front office is giving him a pass for last season after Andy Dalton broke his thumb and wasn’t able to play in the team’s Divisional Round loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Earlier in the year, Lewis suggested that he may retire if the Bengals were to win Super Bowl 50, but he told reporters at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine that retirement is not something he’s thinking about now.

“That’s literally the first thing we talked about,” Lewis said, regarding season-ending talks with owner Mike Brown. “There was no doubt. That’s the first thing he always asks me, but no.”

With the loss of offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, the Bengals will try and break that playoff losing streak in 2016.