CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Bengals on Wednesday signed Marvin Lewis to a one-year extension, ensuring that the NFL's second-longest-tenured head coach will be under contract through 2016.
Lewis' previous contract, signed in March 2014, was set to expire at the end of the 2015 season.
"We have worked together with Marvin for many years. Things are going well for the team, and Marvin deserves credit for that," team president Mike Brown said. "The extension reflects our confidence in him and how things look to us as we move forward. We are happy to have reached this agreement."
Lewis, the winningest coach in Bengals history with 100 career victories, will begin his 13th season with the team when the Bengals visit Oakland for the season opener on Sept. 13.
"I appreciate the commitment by management to the direction of our team," Lewis said in a news release. "It's gratifying to our coaching staff and to me personally. The stakes get higher each and every year."
He has led the Bengals to the playoffs on six occasions -- including a franchise-record four in a row. However, he is 0-6 in the postseason, losing each year in the wild-card round. According to Elias, Jim Mora is the only other coach in NFL history to lose his first six postseason games, and the Bengals are the only team in NFL history to lose in four consecutive playoff games.
It's because of those playoff losses that there was uncertainty about whether Brown would extend Lewis' contract.
Brown relinquished more control to Lewis after a 4-12 showing in 2010 -- two contract extensions ago. Lewis oversees more personnel decisions than he did in the past, and works more closely with director of player personnel Duke Tobin and the scouting department.
There will be uncertainty next offseason, however, as the Bengals have 28 players on their current roster who will be free agents. In addition, quarterback Andy Dalton's contract will revert to a season-by-season deal in which the team can let go of him at any time without penalty.