Tight end Marcedes Lewis preparing to sign deal with Chicago Bears to play 19th NFL season

Former first-round tight end Marcedes Lewis is reportedly preparing to sign a new deal with the Chicago Bears on Monday to play his 19th season in the NFL, according to Jay Glazer. Lewis is already one of the oldest tight ends to continue his career in the league, 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.

Lewis’ last deal with the Packers was for two years, $5.925 million. He then landed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears for $2 million. The Bears, who are set to put a rookie first-round pick under center once again, are bringing the veteran tight end back to apply leadership to a young offense.

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.

More on the 2024 NFL offseason, free agency

The NFL 2024 calendar year began at 4 p.m. ET on March 13. At that time, contracts running through 2023 officially ran out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams had a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 5. Beginning March 11 through March 13 teams could enter into a legal negotiation with players who will become unrestricted free agents.

In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marked the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 19 marked the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 24, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hit.