Packers: Marcedes Lewis on track to set major tight end record

Packers tight end Marcedes Lewis is on the fast-track to make NFL tight end history.

Once the upcoming season begins, Marcedes Lewis is set to tie the record for most seasons played by a tight end in NFL history, a record currently held by Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten.

While he doesn’t have the accolades next to his name that Gonzalez (14 Pro Bowls, Hall of Famer) and Witten (11 Pro Bowls, likely Hall of Fame-bound) have, 17 seasons in the NFL is an incredible accomplishment and speaks volumes to how valuable and reliable Lewis has been over the years.

Lewis, 38, is the last active player from the 2006 NFL Draft and is tied for 99th all-time in total games played in his career. He is entering what will be fifth season as a Packer after spending the previous 16 years as a member of the Jaguars.

A 2010 Pro Bowl selection in a year that he set career highs in receptions (58), total yards (700) and touchdowns (10), Lewis is entering the second season of the two-year, $8M contract extension he signed with the Packers in March of 2021.

Packers: Marcedes Lewis is chasing tight end history

During his tenure in Green Bay, the veteran tight end has been used more for his blocking skills and what he brings to the team in the clubhouse as one of the team’s leaders than his receiving talents. He is coming off of a season in which he played in every game of the regular season for the sixth time in his career as well as making a postseason appearance for the fifth time.

To begin his career all the way back in 2006, Lewis had said that his goal was to play 10 years in the NFL. Entering the 2022-23 season, he is set to begin his 17th in the league, a record that he is reportedly well-aware of and is consciously going to try and break.

In a post on the Packers official website that praises him for his mentorship over young tight end Robert Tonyan, Lewis had the following to say about the tight end history he has in his sights.

"“This year, I’ll tie the record,” Lewis said. “It would be great to break it and then I would consider, ‘OK, I’ve done that.’ Eighteen is kind of bizarre, especially at the tight end position.”"

A fun tidbit, Lewis is the only first-round pick that Aaron Rodgers has ever thrown a touchdown pass to (H/T to NFL writer Kevin Patra).