The Jaguars are trading in their veteran tight end for a newer model.
Jacksonville is releasing Marcedes Lewis, a source informed of the situation told NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Mark Long of the Associated Press first reported the move.
The longest-tenured member of the team, Lewis played 12 seasons in Duval County after being selected No. 28 overall in the 2006 NFL Draft.
Set to turn 34 in May, Lewis has lost speed he couldn't afford to lose. That said, he remains a plus blocker in the ground attack and is coming off his most productive receiving season in a half-decade.
A veteran leader on last season's squad that graduated from AFC South cellar dweller to the doorstep of the Super Bowl, Lewis feels disrespected by the way the organization handled the move.
"I think I deserved a little better than I got," Lewis said, per the AP. "... I wish they would have done it sooner."
Lewis' bewilderment is understandable considering the team exercised his 2018 option last month. After signing Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Niles Paul in the opening week of free agency, however, the Jaguars opted to go younger at the position.
In fact, Seferian-Jenkins was billed as a younger version of Lewis when the former Washington star was entering his final college season five years ago:
