Former Green Bay Packers tight end Marcedes Lewis signed a new one-year deal this week for $2 million to play his 19th season in the NFL. Though he’s making his return to the field for the Chicago Bears, not the Packers, Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love is happy for the tight end he calls “Big Dog.”
“Marcedes is awesome, I’m super happy for him to be coming back, it’s awesome,” Love said. ” We all know, it was my first experience being in the NFL, seeing Big Dog, just the leader he is. He is a vocal leader and he’s also just that physical presence out there on the field where it doesn’t matter who he’s going against, he’s not going to get beat.
“That’s kind of his mindset he always carries. He’s going to go out there and win no matter who he’s against so, I learned a lot of lessons from Big Dog and I’m very appreciative of my time with him… He brings that veteran presence to a team, which is something that you need.”
As he was for the Packers with Love, Lewis will serve as a strong veteran presence for the Chicago Bears this season as they break in new starting quarterback Caleb Williams. He needs just four more games on his resume to surpass former Cowboys star Jason Witten for the most games played by a tight end in NFL history. As divisional opponents, the Packers will play Lewis and the Bears twice in 2024, including in the regular-season finale.
Bears bring back Lewis for historic 19th season
Lewis was already one of the oldest tight ends to continue his career in the league last season, topping Tony Gonzalez’s 17 seasons when he signed with the Bears for 2023. The former UCLA Bruins star played 17 games for the Bears last season. However, he notched just four catches for 29 yards and one touchdown. His lone score came in Chicago’s Christmas Eve game against the Arizona Cardinals, which ended in a 27-16 victory.
Lewis’ longevity can be credited to his exceptional record of staying healthy. He only missed significant playing time in three seasons – 2013, 2014 and 2016 – for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars drafted Lewis with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft out of UCLA. They held on to him for 12 seasons before releasing him into free agency in the 2018 offseason. The Green Bay Packers snapped him up on a one-year deal for $2.1 million, but he stuck around for four more seasons.
Through his first 18 seasons in the NFL, Lewis has racked up 436 catches in 268 regular-season games played. He has 5,113 yards with 40 touchdowns. Despite his long career, the Bears tight end has been to the postseason just four times. He played two playoff games with the Jaguars in 2007, then made runs with the Packers from 2019-2021. He received one second-team All-Pro honor in 2010, and also made the Pro Bowl that same season.
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