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2019 is apparently not a given for Marvin Lewis coaching the Cincinnati Bengals.
Lewis signed what was originally believed to be a two-year contract this offseason, but a source has told NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport that the deal has a team option for the 2019 season.
The #Bengals' contract extension for coach Marvin Lewis is actually a one-year deal through 2018 with an option for 2019, sources say. Another decision coming following the season. My story: https://t.co/0ezcugU7Fl
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 2, 2018
Lewis was coaching under a one-year deal just last season, and the perception was that the team’s 2-0 finish last year gave Mike Brown enough confidence in Lewis to give him another multi-year deal. With this news, that was not the case.
This ultimately means Mike Brown and the Bengals’ organization has to decide, once again, if they want to bring back Lewis at the start of the offseason. Unless he can rally the team to a decent finish like he did last year, Lewis’ future is a little more bleak than we originally thought, especially with Hue Jackson already in the building as a potential replacement.
But this is Mike Brown and Marvin Lewis. They will part ways when they actually part ways, and not one second sooner.