Michigan State is making an all-out effort to make Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis its next head football coach.

The Spartans intensified their pursuit of Lewis late Monday and Tuesday, pressing him to accept a $1.5 million-per-year deal and giving indications that he would remain free to explore NFL head coaching opportunities while with the program, the Washington Post reported in its Wednesday editions.

Indications are Lewis might have a decision for the Spartans by Wednesday night. When asked Wednesday at Redskins camp for a comment on his job candidacy at Michigan Stae, Lewis said: "No comment."

After a long day of Redskins team meetings Tuesday, Lewis said he remained undecided whether to accept the Michigan State job. He interviewed with university representatives on Monday.

"I don't want to talk about that," Lewis told reporters. "Monday and Tuesday aren't good days to worry about that stuff."

Redskins officials were uncertain about what Lewis would do and said a decision might not come until Thursday, sources told the Post.

According to the newspaper's sources, Lewis spoke to Michigan State athletics director Ron Mason early Tuesday and told Mason that he had not made up his mind. School officials were encouraged by what they heard from Lewis and pleased that they had not been turned down, according to the Post's sources, and planned to increase their efforts to hire him.

Michigan State fired Bobby Williams late in the season and replaced him with interim coach Morris Watts. The team finished 4-8, its worst record since 1991.

ESPN.com reported Monday that Lewis, following a meeting in East Lansing, Mich., told Redskins executives he was not planning to accept Michigan State's offer. But Michigan State officials did not abandon their pursuit of him. They turned up their efforts to sell Lewis on the job beginning Monday night, sources told the Post. Spartans men's basketball coach Tom Izzo also left several phone messages for Lewis and met with him Monday.

Former Redskins quarterback Doug Williams, who is the head coach at Grambling, told the Post he was contacted by Michigan State administrators recently. Williams confirmed he was a candidate at one time but said that a week ago a school representative called and informed him that administrators would hire another candidate.

"I was under the impression that they had decided to go with Marvin," Williams told the Post.

Michigan State wants Lewis to commit to a five-year, $7.5 million contract that would include a buyout clause of about $1 million that Lewis would owe the school if he leaves for another job, a source familiar with the terms of the contract told the Post.

"We're not interested in tying him down," said the Michigan State source. "We want him to be successful and for others to pursue him. The buyout price is in there to prevent him from going to other colleges, but NFL owners could choose to write a check if they really wanted him."

Lewis is the NFL's highest-paid assistant coach. He is about to complete the first season of a three-year contract with the Redskins apparently worth between $2.7 million and $3.6 million.