Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten has decided to follow through on his plan to retire from the NFL in order to take the lead color analyst job for ESPN’s Monday Night Football, ESPN’s Todd Archer reports.

 Jason Witten is retiring from the Dallas Cowboys and joining ESPN as an analyst for Monday Night Football, multiple sources told ESPN on Thursday.

Archer notes that Witten wavered with the decision for the past week, and still considered playing a 16th season. Cowboys VP Stephen Jones noted previously that the team was not persuading Witten into staying.

However, he eventually made up his mind to go with his original plan to retire and take the ESPN job, which will reportedly land him $4-4.5 million per year. Witten has informed owner and general manager Jerry Jones and Garrett of his decision.

Witten retires as the Cowboys' all-time leader in multiple categories, including games played, consecutive games played, starts, catches and receiving yards. He is also ranked fourth in NFL history with 1,152 catches, behind only Jerry Rice, Tony Gonzalez and Larry Fitzgerald.

In 2017, Witten had just 63 catches and 560 receiving yards, his lowest numbers since his rookie year. However, he still had five touchdowns and continued to be one of Dak Prescott's most reliable receiving targets. He also remained one of the team's most invaluable locker room leaders.

But with Witten now gone, the Cowboys will have to find production from their other tight ends. Their depth chart currently consists of fourth-round pick Dalton Schultz, Geoff Swaim, Blake Jarwin and Rico Gathers, who have a combined nine career receptions.