Marcedes Lewis teaching younger Bears teammates about how the NFL has changed

Bears tight end Marcedes Lewis practiced for the first time with the team on Tuesday, and he also took some time to talk to his younger teammates about how much the NFL has changed.

The 39-year-old Lewis told his fellow Bears tight end, 24-year-old Cole Kmet, that football is a much different profession than it was when Lewis was drafted, in 2006.

“We were talking about how much the game’s changed since he entered the league,” Kmet said. “The evolution of the passing game and how it’s become definitely more offensive-friendly from when he first entered to now. And then he just talked about he was in the league when they were doing two-a-days. That’s no longer a thing, and seeing how they take care of guys now compared to when he entered the league is just night and day, so it’s cool to hear those type of stories.”

Kmet has been a fan of Lewis’s since childhood.

“I was telling him, me and my brother used to collect cards when we were younger, and he was our first football jersey card,” Kmet said.

That might have made Lewis feel old, but at age 39, Lewis is in shape to start his 18th NFL season, which is an all-time record for a tight end.