The Jacksonville Jaguars could have a very different look with its pass catchers this coming season, but the team has decided to keep tight end Marcedes Lewis in the fold for one more season. The team announced it will pick up the 13-year veteran’s option for the 2018 season.
Lewis, a 2006 first-round draft pick, led the team with five touchdowns in the regular season and caught a touchdown in the AFC Championship game against New England.
Per a story on profootballtalk.com, The 33-year-old Lewis caught 24 passes for 318 yards and five touchdowns last season, and is years removed from being a major threat in the passing game. But he’s still a reliable blocker, and a valuable part of the team’s history.
The 2006 first-rounder hasn’t caught 50 passes in a season since 2012, but they obviously felt like he was worth the $3.5 million he’s due this year, after they made the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
Lewis has been a solid performer for the majority of his time and Jacksonville. Until this season, he was only player remaining on the roster from the team’s 2007 playoff run. Lewis is also a key figure in the team’s locker room, where many of his teammates spoke toward the end of last season how the 33-year-old was one of the more respected players on the team.
Lewis caught 24 passes for 318 yards to go along with those five touchdowns. While the tight end has not been a huge part of the Jaguars’ passing game, it was Lewis who caught three scores in the 44-7 win over the Baltimore Ravens in London.
Even with signing Lewis, the tight end position could be one the team looks to improve in either free agency or through the NFL Draft in April.
Tyler Eifert of Cincinnati and Crockett Gilmore of the Ravens could be high on the team’s list of NFL players available. In the draft, the team figures to have an opportunity to select Mark Andrews of Oklahoma or Dallas Goedert of South Dakota State with the 29th pick in the first round.