Former Green Bay Packers star Marcedes Lewis has sent a plea to NFL teams in a bid to get offered a contract.
Lewis spent the last five seasons with the Packers, after being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018 following 12 seasons in Florida. The tight end went on to become a key player in the Packers offense under head coach Matt LaFleur.
The 39-year-old had formed a solid partnership with quarterback Aaron Rodgers during his time at Lambeau Field. However, things changed during the off-season when both players would leave Wisconsin.
Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets following a blockbuster move between the AFC East franchise and the Packers. The veteran QB was joined by a number of his former teammates at the MetLife Stadium.
As well as Rodgers, former Packers players Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Adrian Amos made the switch to the Jets this off-season. They are joined by Billy Turner and Tim Boyle, who also spent time alongside Rodgers at Lambeau.
However, even though several of Rodgers’ former teammates decided to join him in New York, Lewis is not one of them. The 39-year-old is now a free agent and looking for a new team to call his home.
Having been a free agent in the past, this is not a situation that Lewis is unfamiliar with. However, Lewis will be turning 40 at the end of next season, so it remains to be seen how long the tight end intends to keep his playing career going for.
“I get the business side of it,” Lewis told The Associated Press . “My agent is in talks with a handful of teams, but it’s just small talk. I guess teams are trying to figure out their rosters and what they need.
“But if you just look at my film from the last three years, there’s no decline in what I’m able to do. I’m the best blocking tight end out there.”
There is certainly truth in what Lewis said about his own game. In what was his 17th year in the NFL, the tight end recorded two receiving touchdowns with an average of 11 yards per reception.
While his career with the Packers is over, and it looks like he will not be part of the Rodgers revamp with the Jets, Lewis will have to find a new team to join if he wants to enter an 18th year in the NFL. Teams are currently on break until returning for training camps in July in the build-up to pre-season in August.
Every team will play three pre-season games in August, except for the Cleveland Browns and the Jets, who will also play in the Hall of Fame game. The season begins on September 7 in the Thursday Night Football Week One opener between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions.
