Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan had to be green with envy when news broke that John Lynch signed a six-year deal to become general manager of the San Francisco 49ers. Lynch, who had never been an NFL GM, then signed newbie Kyle Shanahan to a six-year deal to coach the club.
It’s unusual, if not unprecedented, for two neophytes to get six-year deals, security rarely afforded even the most seasoned coaches or general managers.
By contrast, Mike Tomlin, one of the most tenured and accomplished coaches in the NFL — only Marvin Lewis, Mike McCarthy, and Bill Belichick have been with their teams longer — has never been offered more than four years on any of his deals, and his latest extension was only for two years, assuring his time in Pittsburgh only through 2018.