There's only one player remaining in the NFL from the 2006 draft class.
He plans to hang up his spikes after the 2025 NFL season.
That player, who was the No. 28 overall selection in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, is Marcedes Lewis.
The sturdy tight end has outlasted everyone that went before and after him in 2006. He's the last man standing.
Lewis is a free agent right now after playing for the Bears the past couple of seasons.
He joined the Up & Adams show and said that he's heading into 2025 "going into it saying this is my last year."
“I’m still playing almost 30 percent of the plays now, and it’s not as if I’m just this old guy and I can’t stay healthy,” Lewis said. “I think I’ve missed something like 18 games in 19 years. Durable, I’m still doing my thing. I still practice hard. I’m still a student. I’m learning. I’m not in meetings acting as if I know it all. I think that’s what keeps me locked in and my seatbelt on. I’m just grateful to have that type of growth mindset about my work. That’s the reason why I’m here.”
It really is remarkable the way Lewis has hung on. In a physical game where Lewis is often one of his offenses' most physical players, he's stayed healthy and been a positive influence for two decades.
There's really no downside to a team bringing in Lewis, who remains a great blocker in addition to a potentially strong mentor.
Lewis was basically the only first-round pass catcher who ever played with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Rodgers famously never had a first-round WR picked in his time with the Packers.
Rodgers is fond of bringing up that Lewis fact, a subtle dig that the Green Bay front office never made the wideout plunge in the opening round of any draft in more than 20 years (until they did it this year with Matthew Golden for Jordan Love).
Lewis spent 12 years with the Jaguars, five with the Packers and the last two with the Bears.
Now, there's one smart team out there who will get the final season in the incredible career of Marcedes Lewis.
