Cardinals extend contract of D-coordinator Bowles

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) The Arizona Cardinals have given defensive coordinator Todd Bowles a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2017 season.

The team made no announcement but Bowles confirmed reports of the extension at his weekly meeting with reporters on Thursday.

Terms weren't revealed.

''It says a lot about (Cardinals president) Michael Bidwill and (general manager) Steve Keim and the Cardinal organization,'' Bowles said. ''You know they're first class all the way. What they did for me is very generous, very humbling.''

Bowles' aggressive, opportunistic defense is credited as a big reason the team has the best record in the NFL at 8-1.

The extension, believed to make him one of the highest-paid coordinators in the league, shows how much the Cardinals value him. But it wouldn't preclude Bowles from accepting a head coaching position. He has been mentioned prominently as a prime candidate for a head coaching job next year. Bowles brushed aside a question about that.

''I've said all along that we've got some tough games ahead. I can't even think about that stuff right now,'' he said. ''So my job hasn't changed and my focus hasn't changed. We're trying to beat the Lions and we've got the Seahawks, and we've got a couple of games ahead that are really tough. So that's where my focus is.''

Bowles said the Cardinals' contract offer was a surprise.

''They caught me off-guard,'' he said.

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