LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Marcedes Lewis’ timeline kept getting pushed back.
When he was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft, the tight end set a goal to play 10 seasons. By that point, Lewis thought, he’d have built the type of career that would usher him into retirement, and he and his family would be set financially.
From his very first training camp, it was evident to those around Lewis he had what it took to sustain in a league known by its “not for long” moniker. After Lewis laid out several pancake blocks in a 9-on-7 run drill, Jaguars running back Fred Taylor -- who was entering his ninth NFL season -- had a message for the then-rookie.
“[He] pulled me to the side and was like ‘Hey man, you keep you doing that, you’re gonna be in the league a long time,’” Lewis recalled. “It really stuck with me, and we still talk about it to this day.”
Ten seasons came and went and Lewis’ body -- all 6-foot-6, 265 pounds -- was still up to the task of chipping defensive ends and catching passes. The next goal was getting to 12 seasons. After that, the magic number became 15. Once he got there in 2020, Lewis stopped counting.
At age 39, Lewis is preparing for his 18th season, which would break a tie with Jason Witten and Tony Gonzalez for the most ever played by a tight end. After spending the last five seasons in Green Bay, the free agent inked a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears.
The motivation behind the signing was simple for general manager Ryan Poles. Bringing “a pro’s pro” into the fold to teach a young team how to stay healthy (Lewis said he’s only missed 15 or 16 games in 17 seasons) and demonstrate what it will take to climb out of a rebuild and win games is a role Lewis is primed to fill.
And make no mistake. Lewis will still be relied on for a skill that most 39-year-olds might want to avoid: blocking.
“It’s incredible at his age,” Poles said. “His tape is still good. His ability to win on the edge and help us get on the perimeter and also get movement in the run game, that’s going to be critical.”
Lewis joins a tight end room headlined by Cole Kmet and Lewis’ former Packers teammate, Robert Tonyan.
“I was new to the position, I didn't know how to play tight end,” Tonyan recalled. “I was a quarterback and receiver in college. [Lewis] was the person that took me under his wing ... Where I’m at now with me being in a situation to be a leader 一 that stems from him.”
Lewis estimates he talked to Luke Getsy, who he overlapped with for three seasons in Green Bay, “probably four days a week for two months.” The Bears offensive coordinator didn’t need to do much by way of convincing the tight end that his presence would make an impact.
“He’s just a guy who I leaned on a lot, and hopefully he was able to lean on me a little as well,” Getsy said. “His ability to kind of slow the situation down, whether it was a rough practice, whether it was a rough game, he’s the guy who was kind of the stability. He just stands up and goes, ‘Guys, this is the National Football League, we can’t do this. We’ve got to stick together,’ and that good stuff. He’s just a solid rock.”
The addition of a third, experienced tight end will allow the Bears to increase the number of plays they run with multiple tight ends on the field. Though they only ran 247 offensive plays utilizing more than one tight end in 2022 (24th in the NFL), Chicago averaged 5.4 yards per play in those situations, which was the third highest in the league.
In 12 seasons with Jacksonville, Lewis totaled 375 catches for 4,502 yards and 33 touchdowns, which set franchise records for a tight end. Upon joining Green Bay in 2018, Lewis transitioned into his “second prime” primarily as a blocker whose production in the passing game still amounted to 57 receptions for 582 yards and six touchdowns.
The next phase of his career will center around helping Bears running backs run off his blocks to maintain the league’s top rushing offense.
“It’s one of those things where if I were to stop playing this game, it would be mentally first, because physically, that’s going to be there,” Lewis said. “It’s when your mind just checks out, your body normally just follows that. But mentally I’m still at a place where I still feel like I can help a team win ball games and ultimately win a championship. If I still have that feeling and there’s still opportunity out there for me to showcase my talent, why not?
“Part of it, too, is showing people that it can be done ... this is part of my purpose. I was born to do this. I’m not going to disrespect the gift by still being able to do it and not being here.”