No Joke: Jets Interested In Marcedes Lewis, Too

If/when Aaron Rodgers lands with the New York Jets, he could be surrounded by some familiar faces.

Author:
Bill Huber
Updated:
Mar 14, 2023 1:29 PM EDT
Original:
Mar 14, 2023

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – No, this is not satire or a joke. The New York Jets – who presumably will be quarterbacked by Aaron Rodgers in 2023 – are interested in signing one of Rodgers’ favorites, venerable tight end Marcedes Lewis, a source told Packer Central on Tuesday.

According to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, the Las Vegas Raiders also are interested.

“A guy like Marcedes Lewis, he’s an important cog in the wheel of the locker room and the momentum of the team,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show in January. “That’s a guy I want to finish my career with. If I’m playing, I want that guy next to me.”

Two other players that Rodgers wants “next to me,” Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, could land with the Jets, too. New York’s offensive coordinator is Nathaniel Hackett.

Lewis is one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL and a huge asset as a team leader. The oldest non-quarterback in the NFL to start more than one game last season, the 38-year-old has started 46 consecutive games – the longest current streak among tight ends.

His role on the offense became much more one-dimensional in 2022. After catching 23-of-28 targeted passes for 214 yards in 2021, he caught 6-of-7 passes for 66 yards in 2022, with touchdowns vs. the Giants and Dolphins.

It wasn’t just the raw numbers. As noted by Pro Football Focus, Lewis in 2021 forced nine missed tackles – as many as three-time Pro Bowler Mark Andrews, who caught 107 passes, and more than Zach Ertz (74 catches), Mike Gesicki (73) and six others who caught at least 60 passes. In 2022, he didn’t force any. His YAC per catch fell from 6.5 to 2.5.

That’s OK, though, so long as “Big Dog” continues to block at an elite level. There weren’t many explosive runs that didn’t feature No. 89 beating up his man at the point of attack. From that perspective, losing Lewis would be a major loss to the Green Bay offense.

Lewis, who will turn 39 on May 19, will be entering his 18th season in the NFL, which would break an NFL record he shares with Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten for most seasons by a tight end. It’s a record he wants.

“I just remember Tony Gonzalez getting 17 first,” Lewis said last season. “I think he was with Atlanta. Tony’s a good friend of mine so that was something that I followed close, anyway. When he got to 17, I was like, ‘God, I don’t know if I can do 17.’ The way we play tight end is totally different. Tony was more pass catching. I did a lot of both.

“Now, I’m in my second prime as far as run blocking and stuff like that. Obviously, I’m in the trenches with what I do. If I want to get 18, I have to consider, ‘Yo, I’m playing the game way different than how pass catching and catching passes.’ My heart and my mind have to be aligned like, ‘Yo, I want to go get this record.’”