Lewis: I’ll be back with Bengals in 2017

One day after declining to definitively answer multiple questions from local reporters about whether he would retire after the season, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis made his intentions clear on his regular scheduled appearance on a national talk show.

“I’ll be back in 2017,” Lewis told Alex Marvez and Ross Tucker on the Opening Drive on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Lewis said the reason he didn’t offer a blanket denial Wednesday was he didn’t want to give any credibility to the initial report from former Redskins tight end Chris Cooley on ESPN 980 in Washington.

“I didn’t want to make a headline,” Lewis said in the radio interview. “Somebody had already gone on a limb with unfortunately not a very credible statement. I was trying not to give any credibility that way.”

Lewis is under contract through the 2017 season.

He has compiled a 117-103-3 regular-season record and 0-7 in the postseason in his 14 seasons, making him the longest tenured coach in franchise history. Among active coaches, only New England’s Bill Belichick has been with the same team longer (17 seasons).

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