Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten made headlines with his decision to come out of retirement this offseason. It appears he feels he still has plenty left to give to his old team.

Witten retired following the 2017 NFL season and spent the 2018 campaign watching the game from the booth as a broadcaster. According to Mike Leslie of WFAA, the veteran has high expectations for himself next season:

“I think there’s some gas in the tank,” Witten said. “. . .I know what kind of standards I put for myself. The last thing I want to do is be a bad version of that coming back. I knew when you make a decision like that, it’s not to just come back. The most important thing I can do in this return is be the best football player I can be.”

It is encouraging to see that Witten is not short of confidence when it comes to making his return. Of course, there would be little reason for him to even make an attempt unless he felt like he could still perform at a high level. He is hardly the first professional athlete to come out of retirement after one season, and he is hoping to be one of the very few the enjoy plenty of success in their second act.

Witten spent the final stretch of his career largely serving as a safety net for quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott profoundly missed his presence early on in the 2018 campaign. However, the Cowboys managed to beef up their receiving corps with the acquisition of wide receiver Amari Cooper. Witten is hoping to help take some pressure off Cooper by serving as a viable option for Prescott underneath in the passing game next season.