It turns out Marvin Lewis may continue to coach the Cincinnati Bengals.
Lewis has served as head coach of the Bengals the past 15 seasons, but despite never making it past the first round of the playoffs in his tenure and just seven winning seasons, he has yet to be fired.
However, after a report surfaced in December indicating Lewis would step down following the season and would entertain opportunities elsewhere, the 59-year-old countered that report in a Monday press conference. He gave some ambiguous answers about his future in Cincy that don’t necessarily point toward a departure from his current position.
“Yes, that would be fair,” Lewis said when asked about interest between both sides in a return, via CBS Sports.
Lewis’ contract is through the 2017 season, so if Cincinnati elected not to re-up him, it would be about as clean a break as could be. However, when further pressed about the possibility he ends up on the sidelines in Cincy next season, Lewis again didn’t rule it out.
“I think so,” Lewis said. “Probably the less said, the better.”
This all could just be an attempt to not outright admit he’ll likely be turned loose in the coming days or weeks, particularly if he wasn’t given a clear answer from higher-ups about his future.
But it’s clear the Bengals long have loved Lewis, so a return certainly wouldn’t be a surprise.
