In the last several weeks, there has been persistent talk floating around that Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten has some significant interest in possibly joining ESPN as an analyst. Throughout this process, Witten had maintained that he was still committed to extending his NFL career through at least his 16th season.
However, this chatter has now progressed to the point where the 35-year-old has reportedly decided to step away from the game in order to pursue a lead analyst spot for ESPN's new Monday Night Football broadcast team next season, according to Chirs Mortensen of ESPN.
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
This decision shouldn't come as much of a surprise given that Witten had continued to be linked to the potential ESPN job. The fact that this talk hadn't gone away fully speaks to the amount of serious interest there is on both sides as he was one of several candidates that interviewed for the job.
If this indeed the path that Witten is taking, he was set to enter the first year of his restructured four-year, $29.5 million deal that he signed last offseason that runs through the 2021 season. He is coming off another productive campaign where he recorded 63 catches for 560 receiving yards and five touchdowns while playing in all 16 regular season games for the 14th consecutive year. He has notched more than 60 catches and more than 550 receiving yards in each campaign over that span.
This would wrap up what should likely be a Hall of Fame career where he currently ranks second all-time in career catches and receiving yards by tight ends, only trailing Tony Gonzalez. Witten is also 21st all-time in receiving yards (12,448) and fourth in receptions (1,152). He is also second on the Cowboys in receptions, third in total receiving yards, and second in touchdown receptions.
This past season, Witten passed Hall of Famer Michael Irvin for the most career receiving yards and the third-most touchdown catches in franchise history. He has been one of the most consistently productive players at the tight end position that the league has seen.
Follow Us
Subscribe