We classify pairs (X, E ) where X is a smooth Fano manifold of dimension n ≥ 5 and E is an ample vector bundle of rank n − 2 on X with c 1 (E ) = c 1 (X). Japan. 0.1. Study of generalized polarized pairs gives another motivation to investigate Mukai pairs. A pair (X, E ) is called a generalized polarized pair of dimension n and rank r if X is a smooth projective n-fold and E is an ample vector bundle of rank r. The adjoint divisor K X + c 1 (E ) is attached to a given generalized polarized pair (X, E ), and a fundamental problem in this field is to determine when the adjoint divisor K X + c 1 (E ) satisfy positivity (e.g., ampleness or nefness) or to distinguish generalized polarized pairs whose adjoint divisors lack positivity from general ones. Such a problem is carried out in a number of papers, including [4,7,20,49,65,69,[72][73][74]. In [7], Andreatta and Mella studied the case r = n − 2 and they clarified when the adjoint divisor is not nef. Also, assuming that K X +c 1 (E ) is nef but not ample, they (roughly) described the structure of the contraction defined by the adjoint divisor. Understandably the contraction can be trivial, which implies that (X, E ) is a Mukai pair [7, Theorem 5.1 (2) (i)]. Our result gives a detailed classification in such a case.Also, given a generalized polarized pair (X, E ) of dimension n and rank r, the geometry of the zero locus S of a section s ∈ H 0 (E ) is studied in several context, provided that S has the expected dimension n − r. For example, in [35, Corollary 1.3], it is proved that if S as above is a minimal surface of Kodaira dimension = 0, then S is a K3 surface and (X, E ) is a Mukai pair of corank 3. Thus:Corollary 0.5. Let (X, E ) be a generalized polarized pair of dimension n ≥ 5 and rank n − 2. Suppose that there is a K3 surface S ⊂ X which is a zero locus of a section s ∈ H 0 (E ). Then (X, E ) is one of the pairs as in Theorem 0.3.