The Jacksonville Jaguars had a busy Saturday, first signing free-agent center Stefen Wisniewski and then restructuring the contract of tight end Marcedes Lewis, reports Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union.
Wisniewski, a four-year veteran of the Oakland Raiders, was released by Oakland following the signing of another center, Rodney Hudson. Initially used as a guard, Wisniewski shifted to center in 2012 and started all 61 games he appeared in. Pro Football Talk reports that the Tennessee Titans, Washington, the New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears all had some level of interest in Wisniewski, who ultimately took a one-year deal to play in Jacksonville for 2015.
Meanwhile, Lewis reworked a contract that would have cost $8.2 million against the Jaguars’ salary cap for 2015. It is the final year of his contract, with O’Halloran reporting that the reconfigured deal is not a contract extension. Lewis was initially thought to be a cap casualty this year, given his high price tag and the team’s signing of free agent Julius Thomas this offseason. Now, he’ll remain a Jaguar for at least more one season. In a text message to O’Halloran, Lewis said “I’m pumped to be a part of something exciting and be a big part of it.”
This will be Lewis’ 10th season with the Jaguars. He has a career total of 315 catches, 3,789 yards and 27 touchdowns. He had just 18 catches on 31 targets for 206 yards and two touchdowns in 2014, and missed eight games with an ankle injury. Lewis will team up with Thomas as the Jaguars’ two pass-catching tight ends, joining young receivers Allen Robinson and Marqis Lee in their quest to help quarterback Blake Bortles have a productive sophomore season.
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