Bears Tight End Marcedes Lewis Plans to Play at 40

There will be no retiring yet for tight end Marcedes Lewis, the "Big Dog."

At least, if he can find a team to sign with for 2024 there won't be.

Lewis is going to be a free agent and will be 40 years old next season. Whether the Bears want to bring him back might depend upon whether they still have coordinator Luke Getsy still, or plan on running this style offense that utilizes a blocking tight end.

"I'm rolling. I'm rolling," Lewis said when asked about next year. "It's always been mentally for me. And my mental fortitude is something that I lean on and I can hang my hat on. The stuff that I put on film this year is stuff that I can be proud of and it's crazy because I'll be 40 in May, but when you watch the film it doesn’t look like it."

The Bears thought so and said so this past season.

After coming over from Green Bay, Lewis caught only four passes for 29 yards and a touchdown in 2023 but Pro Football Focus grades him as the seventh-best run blocker among tight ends. He is PFF's fifth highest-graded tight end this year, and at age 39 still played 332 snaps on offense as well as 17 on special teams.

"I just want to continue to get better this offseason," Lewis said. "I've had the same routine for about 15, 16 years minus a couple things. Sometimes I add some things to my routine but I'll be ready to go when my number is called."

Lewis suggested it might be in Chicago if they're continuing the same course with Getsy's attack.

"It's about turning this thing around," he said. "I understood when I came here that it was going to take some time, and I think that was one of the things that fired me up about being here is being a part of something to intentionally be great. I feel like the arrow is pointing up."

Lewis' contract for the 2023 season was $1.6 million with a $400,000 bonus for one year, according to Overthecap.com.