Bears tight end Marcedes Lewis set to return for 19th NFL season at age 40, per report

Darren Waller is retiring from the NFL at age 31. But one of the Pro Bowler’s fellow — and elder — tight ends is sticking around, with 40-year-old Marcedes Lewis set to re-sign with the Chicago Bears, per Fox Sports.

Lewis is scheduled to meet with the team on Monday, Jay Glazer reports, with the intention of inking a new contract ahead of Bears training camp. Barring a last-minute hiccup, then, the former All-Pro is on track to play in his 19th NFL season, with a chance to pass Dallas Cowboys great Jason Witten as the tight end with the most career games played in league history.

Witten, who played 16 of his 17 pro seasons in Dallas, appeared in 271 career games. Lewis, meanwhile, enters the 2024 season with 268 contests under his belt.

The latter appeared in all 17 games for the Bears in 2023, starting four while primarily serving as a blocker. He was originally a first-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2006, spending the first 12 seasons of his NFL career with the franchise. An All-Pro and Pro Bowl honoree in 2010, when he logged a career-high 58 catches for 700 yards and 10 touchdowns, Lewis then spent five seasons with the Green Bay Packers. Alongside Aaron Rodgers, he helped the Pack advance to three playoff bids and two NFC title games.

Lewis is currently the second-oldest player in the NFL, behind only Rodgers.