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His chances of returning to Green Bay might be slim, but free agent tight end Marcedes Lewis wants to play in 2023 and is waiting patiently for an opportunity.
Another season played would give Lewis, who spent the last five seasons with the Packers in Green Bay, the NFL record for seasons played by a tight end at 18.
Lewis told Mark Long of the AP that his combination of blocking ability and asking price should be attractive for teams in need of a run-blocker who can mentor young players.
“For older players, there’s two things where they could potentially not get picked up,” Lewis said. “One is that their play is declining for their role. The second thing is they’re asking for too much money. I’m neither of those. I just want to compete.”
Lewis said he thinks he’s still the “best” blocking tight end in the game.
Bill Huber of SI.com reported following the draft that the Packers were not interested in retaining Lewis after the team selected Luke Musgrave in the second round and Tucker Kraft in the third round. With Lewis out and Robert Tonyan in Chicago, a youth movement is on at tight end in Green Bay.
Lewis, a first-round pick of the Jaguars in 2006, turned 39 years old in May. He played in 86 total games with the Packers.