Jacksonville Jaguars and TE Marcedes Lewis Working on Long-Term Contract

According to Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union, the Jacksonville Jaguars and tight end Marcedes Lewis are working on a long-term contract. The period in which teams can use the franchise tag begins today and runs until February 24th. I wrote last week about the potential of the franchise tag to essentially be "useless". The NFL is telling teams it can be used while the NFLPA is telling agents and players that it does not apply to the 2011 NFL season. What we do know however, is that the Jacksonville Jaguars and Marcedes Lewis are working on a new contract, one that will likely lock Lewis up long-term with the Jaguars. Neither side wants to use the franchise tag and the feeling is that it will be a last resort only.

The franchising period is today through Feb. 24. The #Jaguars and @MarcedesLewis89 want a long-term deal and the 2 sides are working on it. Franchising Lewis would be a last resort. It's not what either side would prefer. #Jaguars

"I love the team I'm on, you know, and I feel like I've been a big piece to building where we want to go," Lewis said. "I love who I work with, I love the coaches, I love the environment. The people are nice. They treat me well, they've always supported me. Ultimately, I want to be able to be in a good situation and be happy and I want it to be Jacksonville," Marcedes Lewis told Ganguli on the phone.