Marvin Lewis may not remain the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals for the long-term future. In fact, former Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason says he has heard rumblings about Lewis potentially retiring.
During this week’s episode of “Inside the NFL” on Showtime, the crew of analysts were discussing coaches on the hot seat. Lewis was on the list, leading Esiason to say he has heard the coach may consider retiring after the season.
“Marvin Lewis — last year of his contract — he may retire at the end of the year,” Esiason said.
Esiason then pointed out how Lewis being in the final year of his contract is an unusual position for a coach.
“Very few coaches go into the final year of their contract. It would only be if Marvin retired. I’ve heard rumblings about that. I don’t want to speak for Marvin, but I think that’s one of the reasons you would go into a season without a contract extension.”
Lewis turns 59 later this month and has been Cincinnati’s coach since 2003. And while he’s brought stability and success to a previously downtrodden franchise, one big knock on him is that he hasn’t won a playoff game. The team has reached the playoffs seven times under Lewis (including four AFC North titles), but they’ve lost their first playoff game each time.
Lewis was said to be on the hot seat during a poor season for Cincinnati last year, so it makes sense that that sentiment would continue to this year. Him retiring would seemingly make for an easy transition to a new coach.
