The Dolphins have extended the contract of head coach Joe Philbin by a year, keeping him locked up through 2016, owner Stephen Ross confirmed today to reporters, including Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Philbin’s deal has previously been set to expire after the 2015 season.

After the Dolphins made the decision to bring back Philbin for 2015, a short-term extension had been expected, to avoid having him enter the season as a lame-duck coach. Explaining the decision, Ross noted that “you don’t get the best from someone when operating with a gun to their head,” tweets Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post.

Still, there’s no guarantee that Philbin will still be in Miami for that 2016 season. Ross said today that “there has to be improvement,” but wouldn’t clarify whether that means Miami must have a better record or make the playoffs in 2015 (Twitter link). I’d expect that, after adding Ndamukong Suh in free agency, Philbin and the Dolphins will be in postseason-or-bust mode in ’15.

In his three seasons with the Dolphins so far, Philbin has failed to get the team a single playoff berth or a record above .500. Miami has a 23-25 record during his stint with the club, including back-to-back 8-8 seasons.