Marcedes Lewis wants to play more NFL seasons than any other tight end

Marcedes Lewis made his only Pro Bowl in 2010. He’s played 11 seasons since then — and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

The burly tight end, now a key piece in the Green Bay Packers offense, is set to play his 17th season in the NFL. Then he hopes to move on to his 18th, passing current and future Hall of Famers Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten to officially become the longest-tenured tight end in league history.

“This year, I’ll tie the record,” Lewis said in Wes Hodkiewicz’s profile for Packers.com. “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.”

Lewis’s impact in the passing game has waned following that breakout 2010 season, his fifth in the league. Even so, he’s still been a significant part of Aaron Rodgers’ offense in Wisconsin.

He’s made 32 starts over the past two seasons, and while that’s mostly come as an in-line blocker, he remains a valuable safety valve in the passing offense. His 82.1 percent catch rate last season — at age 36 — was a career best.

More importantly, he’s brought stability to a volatile position in Green Bay.

Recent third round draft picks Jace Sternberger and Josiah Deguara each failed to pan out at tight end. Robert Tonyan’s emergence helped provide support, but his 2021 torn ACL threw an already-limited list of Rodgers’ receivers into array. Even though Lewis only had 28 targets, his presence as a blocker paved the way for a rushing offense that ranked sixth in expected points added per run and fifth in success rate.

He’ll attempt to use 2022 as a palate cleanser after ending 2021 on a sour note. Lewis’s first quarter fumble in the Divisional Round against the San Francisco 49ers erased an early scoring opportunity in what became a 13-10 loss that extinguished the Packers’ Super Bowl hopes.

“It’s something that for at least a month and a half, I had nightmares about,” Lewis told Packers.com. “But I’m able to confront the truth and look in the mirror every day because I know I never leave anything out on the field. I always give what I got.”

If the 38-year-old can do it for just two more seasons, he’ll add his name to the NFL record book.