Just last month, the Chicago Bears made an unexpected addition to their offensive front by re-signing veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis to a one-year deal. Lewis is now set to enter his 19th season in the league, something so rarely seen from the tight end position.
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Former wide receiver turned analyst Keyshawn Johnson was baffled by this too when he had Lewis for a chat on All Facts No Brakes. “Man, 19 years?” he quipped with a bewildered expression, to which Marcedes responded, “It’s crazy, man. It’s been a grind.”
To put this into perspective, Lewis is now the only 40-year-old active player in the league, aside from his former QB teammate, Aaron Rodgers. He is also the second tight end, after Trey Junkin, to play in the league at the age of 40 or older.
Additionally, four more appearances this season would see the UCLA product surpass TE Jason Witten’s record of 271 games played. Given the Bears’ playoff drought — no postseason win since 2010 — they’ll undoubtedly need Lewis on the field for those games and beyond.
Lewis seemed up for the challenge, considering he initially hoped to play just 10 seasons in the league, as revealed during the interview. However, once he surpassed that mark, he didn’t feel any different physically or mentally, and that hasn’t changed to this day:
“We only get so long to play this sport. And life, as you know, has windows, and whenever you can keep those windows open, for as long as you can, you might as well do it. I’m in that position now… I’ve been able to transform my game into being one of the best blockers at the point of contact.”
The star tight end then asserted that his unique abilities are no longer common among prospects coming out of college, which is probably why the league still keeps him around. And Lewis is nothing but thankful for it.
Lewis expresses optimism for Caleb Williams and the Bears’ 2024 roster
As the conversation progressed, Marcedes Lewis didn’t shy away from expressing his faith in the Bears’ defense. Given that the team ranked No. 2 in rushing defense last year after allowing just 1,468 yards, it’s quite understandable why the tight end holds this sentiment.
However, Lewis also attributed this success to the acquisition of defensive end Montez Sweat, whom he believes significantly helped guide the front four and the defensive ends. Consequently, Lewis wholeheartedly believes that their secondary will be nothing but ‘hungry’ come September.
The offensive side of the ball saw a significant boost as well. And Lewis believes that the addition of WR Keenan Allen, the re-signing of DJ Moore, and the first-round selection of Rome Odunze will finally steer the team in the right direction.
The tight end also couldn’t help but shower praise on their newly drafted QB, Caleb Williams. While Lewis initially had no specific expectations for the rookie QB out of USC, Caleb has exceeded all of them over time.
“I mean, this guy wants to be great. If he doesn’t do something 100% correct, he’s correcting himself… I’m looking forward to him going out there and competing and showing everybody what he has been working on. Because within his first week, he’s doing things that you don’t see from a young guy.”
It will certainly be a roller-coaster year for the Bears. While rookie QBs often struggle to translate their collegiate success into the NFL, there are always exceptions like CJ Stroud. Who knows? Perhaps this will finally be the Bears’ season. They do have the roster to exceed all expectations and go all the way.
