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With his contract set to expire at the end of the 2015 season, the Cincinnati Bengals decided to extend head coach Marvin Lewis’ contract. Lewis’ new contract locks him in as the Bengals head coach through 2016, at which point he’ll have been the Bengals’ head coach for 14 seasons.
It’s not ideal, but it’s a necessary decision on the part of Bengals ownership. With the extension, the writing is definitely on the wall for both Lewis and starting quarterback Andy Dalton. To Lewis’ credit, he did take a team stuck in losing ways and turn them into a playoff team. Certainly that is no easy feat, and is something he should be given credit for.
But the issue with Lewis is that the team hasn’t taken that next step forward towards a championship. The Bengals were mired in their losing ways before, and while Lewis improved them he’s now gotten them only to mediocrity. They’ve made the playoffs six times with Lewis and have yet to win, which is where Dalton starts to factor into the picture.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Lewis’ deal aligns with the fact that cutting ties with Dalton at the end of the 2016 season saves the team almost $11 million. The way the dead money is structured on Dalton’s contract, the team really can’t move on from him until then without taking a loss. So if Dalton has that two-year window to take this team deeper into the playoffs, it makes sense to keep Lewis around until then as well. That’s the ultimate logic in this move, and it’s one that’s hard to argue against — even if you’re of the opinion that Lewis doesn’t deserve it.
Make no mistake about it, Lewis’ time in Cincinnati is running short. Capturing that ever-elusive playoff win will be the only way the team can justify keeping him around longer. To accomplish that Lewis has two drafts and existing players to develop to boost a pass rush that ranked dead last in the league last season. On the other end, Dalton has to find his consistency and start showing up in the postseason. Otherwise, come the end of the 2016 season, Lewis will be out of a job and Dalton will be all but gone with him.
The good news is that if the team remains relatively strong all the way around, it’s possible the Bengals won’t have to hit the reset button completely. Firing Lewis, releasing Dalton and selling out for a franchise quarterback might actually wind up being the answer to Cincinnati’s playoff woes. Only time will tell, and that time is going to be up in two short seasons.
Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL. Follow him on Twitter at @DGreenNFL.
