Cowboys TE Jason Witten plans to retire to pursue ESPN job
The Dallas Cowboys have seen two Hall-of-Fame-caliber players call it a career in consecutive years. After the team parted ways with quarterback Tony Romo leading to his retirement, the longtime teammate of the current broadcaster is following in his footsteps in more ways than one.
Veteran tight end Jason Witten has seemingly decided to retire and pursue a career in broadcasting with talk of him replacing Jon Gruden, the new head coach of the Oakland Raiders, on Monday Night Football, via ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.
Jason Witten is planning to retire after 15 years to join ESPN's new Monday Night Football broadcast team as a lead analyst but will meet today with owner Jerry Jones before making his decision final, per sources.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) April 27, 2018
As one of the most durable and reliable players in NFL history, Witten will be sorely missed in Dallas. The veteran tight end only missed one game in his entire career before hanging up his cleats this week. The Tennessee product was as dependable as they come and will almost certainly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer from what he was able to do during his time in Dallas.
Witten played in 15 seasons with the 2017 campaign apparently being his last. Despite being set to turn 36 in May, Witten was still productive for the Cowboys as he caught 63 passes last season for 563 yards and five touchdowns.
During his 15-year campaign with America’s Team, the star tight end caught a grand total of 1,152 passes and 68 touchdowns in the regular season. Witten played eight playoff games in a Cowboys uniform finishing with 45 receptions for 486 yards and one touchdown.
Unfortunately, despite playing on some talented Cowboys teams, Witten was never able to win or even reach the Super Bowl with Dallas. Although he won’t be remembered for his postseason success, he’ll definitely go down as one as one of the greatest players at his position.
As for the Cowboys, it will be virtually to replace what Witten has brought to the table for the last decade and a half. Dallas may have taken a serious hit to their chances of competing for a title next season until they can find a viable replacement for one of the best leaders the team has ever had.
