Tight end Marcedes Lewis re-signs with Chicago Bears on 1-year deal

The Bears are bringing back a vet.

Tight end Marcedes Lewis has re-signed with the Bears on a one-year contract, the team announced Monday. The 40-year-old Lewis spent last season with the Bears and will return for his 19th NFL season. That will be a record number of years for an NFL tight end.

Lewis played in all 17 games for the Bears last season. He served primarily as a blocking tight end. He totaled four receptions for 29 yards and one touchdown. The Bears are the third team Lewis has played for.

Jacksonville drafted Lewis out of UCLA with a first-round pick in 2006. He spent 12 years in Jacksonville, then played five seasons with the Green Bay Packers before joining the Bears last year. In total, Lewis has played in 268 regular-season NFL games.

Lewis ranks third all time among tight ends in games played, behind only Jason Witten (271) and Tony Gonzalez (270). He has an opportunity to surpass both of them this season.

Lewis’ connection with former Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is a big part of what brought Lewis to Chicago last season. Getsy and Lewis worked together in Green Bay. Even with a new offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron, the Bears see a place for Lewis. Waldron and Getsy run similar style offenses. Waldron used multiple tight ends well during his time as the coordinator in Seattle from 2021-23.

Last season, with Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sidelined by injury, Lewis surpassed Rodgers for the most starts by an active NFL player (he is at 225 career starts). He also made his 40th career touchdown reception during a Week 16 game against Arizona.