Marcedes Lewis close to Bears deal, could set NFL record for most seasons at tight end

The NFL record for most seasons by a tight end is shared by three players: Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez and Marcedes Lewis. They each have logged 17 NFL seasons.

Gonzalez was an easy pick for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Witten will likely be in the Hall of Fame, and Lewis ... well, he has had a really long career.

Lewis keeps collecting checks, and he has a chance to play in his 18th NFL season. The Chicago Bears and Lewis were finalizing a deal Friday, according to NFL Media's Tom Pelissero. Lewis just turned 39 years old.

In a league that is constantly discarding veterans and looking to get younger (and cheaper), Lewis' longevity is remarkable and impressive.

Marcedes Lewis' impressive career

Lewis is considered one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL, even in his late 30s. He also can add value to a young Bears team with some veteran leadership. Lewis was a captain with the Green Bay Packers.

Still, he doesn't have the normal profile of the rare player who lasts nearly two decades in the NFL.

Lewis was a first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2006 NFL draft. It was the same draft as players like Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Jay Cutler and Matt Leinart. Five picks after Lewis was selected, the Houston Texans picked linebacker DeMeco Ryans. Ryans was just hired as the Texans' head coach. Lewis is the only active player remaining from the 2006 draft.

Lewis has been around a while. He spent 12 years with the Jaguars and five with the Packers. He's not guaranteed to make the Bears regular-season roster, and therefore isn't a sure thing to break the record he shares with Witten and Gonzalez. But simply making another training camp is a feat.

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Lewis hoping for an 18th season

Lewis' longevity is an unusual story. He has scored more than five touchdowns in just one of his 17 NFL seasons, back in 2010 with the Jaguars. That was also the only time he was a Pro Bowler. He hasn't had more than 25 catches in a season since 2012. He had just six catches last season.

Lewis' value doesn't come from catching a lot of passes. It's still rare to see a blocking tight end last well into his 30s. It's not like the NFL puts a lot of value on tight ends who rarely catch the ball. If you were to guess which tight end lasted the most seasons in the NFL it would probably be someone like Gonzalez, who has the most catches ever by a tight end and made 14 Pro Bowls, not a blocker with 39 touchdowns in 251 career games like Lewis.

For the many, many players who want to keep playing but aren't asked back after just a few seasons, or those whose bodies won't allow them to keep playing into their 30s, Lewis' run is way more impressive than his stats could ever tell. He has career earnings of $60.85 million, according to Spotrac. Not bad for a one-time Pro Bowler.

If Lewis breaks the record shared by Witten or Gonzalez by appearing in a regular-season game this year, it won't be a big headline. But it will be one of the more impressive accomplishments of this NFL season.