Marvin Lewis and the Cincinnati Bengals mutually agreed to part ways on Monday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Schefter has also reported that Lewis, 60, has already contemplated his next career that includes returning to the sideline as a coach, accepting a front office position or becoming a TV analyst. If Lewis decides to continue his coaching career, his next stop could be in Pittsburgh, the place where his NFL career in many ways began more than a quarter century earlier.

After coaching internships with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, Lewis, who was also an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh from 1990-92, was hired as the Steelers' linebackers coach in 1992. Pittsburgh boasted the NFL's best linebacker unit during Lewis' time with the Steelers, as All-Pros Greg Lloyd and Kevin Greene spearheaded a unit that also included future Pro Bowlers Levon Kirkland and Jason Gildon. Lewis' group played an integral role in Pittsburgh capturing the franchise's first AFC title in 16 years in 1995 while nearly upsetting the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX.

Lewis' success in Pittsburgh earned him a promotion. In 1996, he was hired as the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator. Baltimore immediately ascended to become one of the NFL's premier defenses. In 2000, Lewis' unit was historically dominant, allowing an average of just 10.3 points per game during the regular season en route to shutting out the Giants' offense in Baltimore's victory over New York in Super Bowl XXXV. Lewis, 42 years old at the time, was the hottest coaching commodity in the NFL.

The Bengals finally made Lewis a head coach in 2003. The NFL's least successful franchise the previous decade, Lewis quickly pushed the Bengals to respectability. After starting his head coaching tenure with two .500 seasons, Lewis led Cincinnati to an 11-5 record as well as the AFC North division title in 2005. In the AFC wild card round, however, Lewis' team lost the first of his seven playoff games without a win. From 2011-15, Lewis would guide the Bengals to five straight postseason appearances that that included three more division titles (in 2009, 2013 and 2015), but each of those seasons ended in bitter defeat. Lewis' most crippling playoff loss took place in 2015, when Cincinnati unraveled in the final moments of their 18-16 loss to the rival Steelers. Cincinnati followed up that loss with three consecutive losing seasons. The Bengals bottomed out with this year with a 6-10 record, good for last place finish in the AFC North.

While Lewis may have had his shortcomings in Cincinnati, he still proved to be a phenomenal defensive mind. Ben Roethlisberger, following Pittsburgh's 16-13 win over Cincinnati on Sunday, praised Lewis' varying defensive schemes during his postgame press conference. Lewis' defensive mind could certainly be used in Pittsburgh, either as the team's next defensive coordinator or as a linebacker coach. Pittsburgh's defense is coming off their worst season since 2014, as the Steelers allowed several late scoring drives during their 2-4 finish to the 2018 season. While the Steelers aren't expected to make major changes to it's coaching staff, they would be foolish not to at least reach out to Lewis, who earlier this century presided over one of the top ranked defenses in NFL history.

If Lewis does ultimately decide to return to the sidelines in 2019, don't be surprised if his next team is the Steelers, a team that could use some new blood after one of it's most disappointing seasons in recent memory.