ASHBURN, Va. -- Marvin Lewis won't be a head coach, but he'll be getting head coach money.

A month after he set a new -- and very high -- standard for head coach's pay with the hiring of Steve Spurrier, Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder on Monday made Lewis the best paid assistant in the NFL.

	Marvin Lewis smiles during the news conference announcing him as the NFL's best-paid assistant.

Lewis signed a three-year deal to be defensive coordinator for Washington. The deal is worth between $850,000 and $900,000 annually, but if all the incentives are attained, the package could be worth as much as $1.3 million per year. That's a salary comparable to what some NFL head coaches make and is at least twice what the average assistant is thought to make.

ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli first reported the deal Sunday afternoon. The news conference and official announcement was made Monday.

"For the kind of money they are going to pay him, I guess you can't blame the guy," Ravens vice president Ozzie Newsome told ESPN.com.

The contract will dwarf the nearly $700,000 per year contract that the Atlanta Falcons recently gave to new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

Asked to explain himself to owners who now have good reason to be concerned about escalating coaching salaries, Snyder was unapologetic.

"I don't think I've done anything out of character with what we're trying to build with the Redskins," Snyder said. "You're talking about one of the finest coaches in the game. We're all after one thing, that's victories."

Spurrier, who last month signed a five-year, $25 million contract, played the rationalization game a bit better.

"Do you know what the salary cap is this next year?" Spurrier said. "Seventy-one million. Now don't you think the best defensive coordinator in the country is worth one-70th of what you're paying the team? The defensive coordinator is one of the most valuable players on your team."

Lewis' arrival ended a confusing week about the future of the man who made the Baltimore Ravens defense one of the best in the league, if not ever. Lewis seemed on the verge of becoming Tampa Bay's head coach until a Thursday night meeting with the sons of Bucs owner Malcolm Glazer left Lewis with the distinct impression that he wasn't wanted.

"It was a meeting that was already set one way," said Lewis, adding that he felt the Glazers interviewed him as nothing much more than a courtesy to their general manager, Rich McKay.

Lewis had been so confident that he would get the Buccaneers job that he had already contacted an offensive coordinator and other possible assistants. He said one of disappointing side effects of the whole scenario is that "a couple of guys passed up opportunities around the NFL" because they thought they'd be with him in Tampa.

When it became public that Lewis wouldn't get the Tampa Bay job, the Redskins pursued him immediately. A Saturday morning interview was arranged, but Lewis canceled it and decided -- for the moment, at least -- to re-sign with the Ravens.

"I probably acted in haste Saturday morning," Lewis said, "after going through a very tough Friday."

The Ravens then thought they had a deal to keep Lewis, but Lewis reconsidered and met Sunday with Snyder and Spurrier. The Redskins increased their offer; the Ravens didn't. The deal was done, and Baltimore owner Art Modell issued as statement saying he was "disappointed" about being "misled."

Lewis said he hopes to speak with Modell later this week in a gesture of reconciliation.

"Mr. Modell wouldn't have understood if I had left last year to coach the Cleveland Browns," Lewis said. "That's the way he is. You're part of his family. He wants you to stay there forever."

Lewis said he took the Redskins job because it offered a new challenge and a new level of responsibility -- Spurrier doesn't want anything to do with the defense -- but Lewis also admitted the money played a part.

"That's got to be a factor," Lewis said. "You love the game, you have a great passion for the game, but you also want to take care of your people, my children, the rest of their life."

Lewis will be Snyder's fourth defensive coordinator in four seasons, following Mike Nolan, Ray Rhodes and Kurt Schottenheimer. Ironically, Nolan is taking Lewis' place as the Ravens' defensive coordinator.

And, while he continues to throw money at big names, Snyder is still waiting for the strategy to pay off. The top two dubious moves: Deion Sanders got nearly $8 million for one mediocre year, and coach Marty Schottenheimer essentially got $10 million for one 8-8 season.

Spurrier's coaching staff is nearly complete. On Monday, he also hired former Dallas assistant George Edwards to coach the linebackers, and all that's left is a defensive backs coach.

After that, with Lewis aboard, Spurrier feels he won't have to worry about that side of the ball anymore.

"It frees me up to try to coach the offense," Spurrier said. "I don't have to peek in on the defense."

Information from ESPN.com senior NFL writer Len Pasquarelli and the Associated Press was used in this report.