Jets Add Marvin Lewis to Search For New Head Coach With Interview

Lewis spent 16 seasons as the Bengals head coach and will be one of the most experienced candidates for New York's head coaching vacancy

The Jets have completed an interview with ex-Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, the team announced on Thursday afternoon. 

As New York's head coaching search continues, plenty of highly sought-after candidates will be pursued by the Jets. When it comes to experience, Lewis is one of the best options on the market. 

Lewis, 62, spent 16 seasons at the helm in Cincinnati (2003-2018), taking the Bengals to the postseason seven times. The Bengals went 131-122-3 under Lewis in the regular season, winning four AFC North titles. Those 131 wins rank Lewis in a tie for 27th on the all-time list of most wins by a head coach in NFL history.

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Before his time with the Bengals, Lewis made a name for himself as a defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens. From 1996 to 2001, Lewis led Baltimore's dominant defensive unit, helping them win a Super Bowl in 2000. 

Since finishing his lengthy tenure in Cincinnati, Lewis worked at Arizona State under former Jets head coach Herman Edwards. He served as the Sun Devils co-defensive coordinator this season.

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New York has also completed an interview with Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and is expected to conduct a "broad and deep" search for the right individual to lead this franchise back to contention. 

The search will be led by general manager Joe Douglas, who got his start as a scout with the Ravens and crossed paths with Lewis in 2000.

Lewis' experience alone warrants consideration for the Jets' vacancy. While he hasn't had much success in the postseason, losing each time Cincinnati made a playoff appearance, bringing Lewis in with New York's young and malleable defensive unit could help bring this organization return to defensive supremacy. Either way, he'll immediately be respected in a role that he's worked in for close to two decades, injecting that experience into the Jets' culture going forward.

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