LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears brought back Marcedes Lewis on Monday, re-signing the veteran tight end to a one-year contract.
Lewis played in 17 games for Chicago last season, finishing with four receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown. He returns to a tight end room that also includes Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett, who agreed to a $12 million, two-year contract in March as a free agent.
The Bears haven’t had a winning record since they went 12-4 in 2018, but they are hoping to take a step forward this upcoming season after taking quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.
The 40-year-old Lewis has played in 268 games in 18 NFL seasons. If he appears in four games this season, he will pass Jason Witten for the most for a tight end. If he plays in at least 15 games, he will have the fourth-highest total for a non-quarterback or specialist, trailing wide receiver Jerry Rice (303), offensive lineman Bruce Matthews (296) and cornerback Darrell Green (295).
The 6-foot-6 Lewis, a Southern California native, was selected by Jacksonville in the first round of the 2006 draft. He has 436 receptions for 5,113 yards and 40 touchdowns, spending 12 years with the Jaguars and five seasons with the Green Bay Packers before joining the Bears.
