Marcedes Lewis will break NFL record by signing with Bears

Veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis is not ready to leave the NFL just yet.

According to a report from NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Lewis is finalizing a deal to join the Chicago Bears to play an 18th season in the league.

Once all of that gets finalized and he suits up for the Bears he will set an NFL record for most seasons played in the league by a tight end. He is currently in a three-way tie with Jason Witten and Tony Gonzalez.

Lewis, 39, was a first-round draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars all the way back in 2006 and has played in the NFL every year since, spending his career with the Jaguars and Green Bay Packers.

He has never really been a star in the NFL, but has been a consistently reliable target that has caught 432 passes for 5,034 yards and 39 touchdowns in his career entering the 2023 season. 

Lewis will not be expected to play a huge role in the Bears' passing game as Chicago already has an outstanding up-and-coming starter in Cole Kmet. But he will provide some nice veteran depth and leadership to a Bears team that has undergone some significant changes on offense over the past year. The Bears have worked hard to surround quarterback Justin Fields with playmakers, acquiring Chase Claypool, D.J. Moore and D'onta Foreman on offense.

They also made significant additions on defense, including Thursday's signing of pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue to a one-year, $10.5 million contract.