Marcedes Alexis Lewis (born May 19, 1984) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

for the Green Bay Packers of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played college football at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

, earning consensus All-American honors. He was selected by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

in the first round of the

2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with add ...

Early years

Lewis was born in

Los Alamitos, California Los Alamitos () is a city in Orange County, California. The city was incorporated in March 1960. The population was 11,780 at the 2020 census, up from 11,449 at the 2010 census. The adjacent unincorporated community of Rossmoor uses the same 9 ...

. He graduated from

Long Beach Polytechnic High School Long Beach Polytechnic High School, founded in 1895 as Long Beach High School, is a four-year public high school located at 1600 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach, California, United States. The school serves portions of Long Beach, including Bixby ...

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, where he played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

for the Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits. In 2001, he competed in a nationally televised game against De La Salle of

Concord, California Concord ( ) is the largest city in Contra Costa County, California. According to an estimate completed by the United States Census Bureau, the city had a population of 129,295 in 2019 making it the eighth largest city in the San Francisco Bay ...

. As a senior, Lewis was named as a '' Parade'' magazine high school All-American and was considered a top prospect by all major recruiting services.

College career

Lewis attended

, and played for the UCLA Bruins football team from 2002 to 2005. In 49 games with the Bruins, he started 32 times. He ranks ninth on the school's overall career-record receiving list and first among tight ends with 126 receptions, holding the UCLA tight end all-time records with 1,571 yards receiving and 21 touchdowns. As a senior in 2005, Lewis was a first-team All-Pacific-10 selection, a consensus first-team All-American, and won the

John Mackey Award The John Mackey Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding tight end. Established in 2000 by the Nassau County Sports Commission, the award is given annually to the tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, a ...

, given annually to the top tight end in college football. Lewis was inducted into the

UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPS ...

as a member of the 2022 class.

College statistics

Professional career

Jacksonville Jaguars

Lewis was selected by the

with the 28th overall pick in the first round of the

. He played college football with running back

Maurice Jones-Drew Maurice Christopher Jones-Drew (born March 23, 1985), often called "MJD", is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins and earned una ...

who was also selected on the first day by the Jaguars. In July 2006, Lewis signed a five-year, $7.5 million contract that included $4.9 million guaranteed. Lewis made his NFL debut in Week 1 of the 2006 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 9–0 victory. He scored his first professional touchdown on a one-yard reception from

David Garrard David Douglas Garrard (born February 14, 1978) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football at East Carolina and wa ...

in Week 12 against the Buffalo Bills. He finished his rookie season with three starts in 15 appearances. He totaled 13 receptions for 126 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. His role expanded in the 2007 season with 37 receptions for 391 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. He started all 16 games in his second year. In 2008, Lewis started all 16 games once again and recorded 41 receptions for 489 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns, which came in consecutive games in Week 5 and Week 6. In the 2009 season, he started all 16 games and recorded 32 receptions for 518 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. In the 2010 season, Lewis matched the Jaguars single-season touchdown receptions record with a total of 10 and was selected to his first

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

. He had previously been named as an alternate for the 2009 Pro Bowl. He started all 16 games and had three games with multiple receiving touchdowns. Due in part to the

2011 NFL lockout The 2011 National Football League Player lockout was a work stoppage imposed by the owners of the NFL's 32 teams that lasted from March 12, 2011, to July 25, 2011. When the owners and the NFL players, represented by the National Football League ...

, the Jaguars placed the

franchise tag In the National Football League (NFL), the franchise tag is a designation a team may apply to a player scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The tag binds the player to the team for one year if certain conditions are met. Each team has on ...

on Lewis on February 24, 2011. On August 5, 2011, after a short training camp hold out, Lewis signed a five-year contract reportedly worth about $35 million ($17 million guaranteed). In the 2011 season, he started in and appeared in 15 games and totaled 39 receptions for 460 receiving yards. For the first time in his professional career, he did not have a touchdown. In the final game of the 2012 regular season against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

, Lewis had seven receptions for 103 receiving yards for his first game going over the 100-yard mark. He totaled 52 receptions for 540 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns on the season. In the 2013 season, he totaled 25 receptions for 359 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in 11 games. The four receiving touchdowns all came in four consecutive games from Week 13 to Week 16. In the 2014 season, he totaled 18 receptions for 206 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. Lewis continued his constant production in the 2015 season with 16 receptions for 226 receiving yards in 16 games, all starts. On March 9, 2016, Lewis re-signed a three-year, $12 million contract to remain with the Jaguars. He was placed on injured reserve on November 21, 2016, after suffering a calf injury in Week 11 against the Detroit Lions. He totaled 20 receptions for 169 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in ten starting appearances. In Week 3 of the 2017 season, he recorded four receptions for 62 receiving yards and a career-high three receiving touchdowns in a 44–7 victory over the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

. He finished with 24 receptions for 318 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns in 16 starts. In the

AFC Championship The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...

loss to the New England Patriots, Lewis recorded his first postseason touchdown on a four-yard reception from

Blake Bortles Robby Blake Bortles (born April 28, 1992) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football at UCF, where he received ...

. On March 20, 2018, Lewis was released by the Jaguars after 12 seasons with the team.

Green Bay Packers

On May 24, 2018, the Green Bay Packers signed Lewis to a one-year, $2.1 million contract that included a $500,000 signing bonus. Lewis caught his first pass as a Packer on November 4, 2018, during a Week 9 loss to the New England Patriots. He finished the 2018 season with three catches for 39 yards. On March 18, 2019, Lewis re-signed with the Packers on a one-year, $2.1 million dollar contract. Lewis caught his first touchdown as a Packer, a one-yard reception from Aaron Rodgers, on December 1, 2019, during a Week 13 victory over the New York Giants. He finished the 2019 season with 15 receptions for 156 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. The Packers advanced to the playoffs as the NFC's 2 seed, losing in the

NFC Championship The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final National Football League playoffs, playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional Amer ...

to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

. On March 24, 2020, Lewis re-signed with the Packers on a one-year contract. Lewis started 15 games, catching ten passes for 107 yards and three touchdowns. The Packers advanced to the playoffs as the top seed in the NFC, but again lost in the

to the eventual Super Bowl champion

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

. On March 30, 2021, Packers re-signed Lewis to a two-year, $8 million contract. In a Week 15, 31–30 victory against the

, Lewis surpassed 5,000 career receiving yards. He started all 17 games in the 2021 season and finished with 23 receptions for 214 receiving yards. The Packers again clinched home-field advantage as the NFC's top seed for the 2021 playoffs. However, they lost to the San Francsico 49ers in the Divisonal Round.

Personal life

Lewis has been active in his hometown of

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, holding football camps that combine sports development with academics.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Awards

* 2005

(Best TE) * 2005 All-American Team * 2005 All-Pac-10 Team * 2004 John Mackey Award Finalist (Best TE) * 2004 All-American Team * 2004 All- Pac-10 Team * Prep Star Dream Team (Best Prep TE) * Super Prep All-American * Super Prep Elite (rated #4) * Parade All-American * Student Sports Hot 100 List (#30) *

2011 Pro Bowl The 2011 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2010 season. It took place at 7:00 p.m. EST (2:00 p.m. local time) on Sunday, January 30, 2011 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The NFC won 55–41, despi ...

References

External links

Green Bay Packers bioUCLA Bruins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Marcedes 1984 births Living people All-American college football players American Conference Pro Bowl players American football tight ends Green Bay Packers players Jacksonville Jaguars players People from Los Alamitos, California Players of American football from California Sportspeople from Orange County, California UCLA Bruins football players Long Beach Polytechnic High School alumni