In a surprising move, all-time Cowboy great Jason Witten is expected to announce his retirement today, pending a meeting with owner Jerry Jones. According to ESPN’s Chris Mortenson, Witten will take a role on Monday Night Football as a lead analyst, following in his pal Tony Romo’s footsteps.
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
The move is certainly a shocker as Witten recently confirmed his desire to return to Dallas for the 2018 season. Maybe ESPN made him an offer he simply couldn’t refuse. Maybe the recent release of Dez Bryant had the future Hall of Famer questioning the Cowboys ability to compete for a championship this season.
Regardless of his reasoning, #82 will go down as one of the greatest players to ever wear the star. Having missed only ONE game in his 15 year career, Witten amassed a staggering 1152 receptions for 12,448 yards and 68 touchdowns. He topped the 1,000-yard mark four times. In addition, he holds the NFL record for most receptions in a season by a tight end with 110 in 2012. Witten will finish his career fourth on the NFL’s all-time reception list.
Always a consummate pro and pillar of excellence in the community, it is simply a matter of when, not if Jason Witten will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio. His spot in the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor is also lock when the time comes.
From strictly a football standpoint, the Cowboys may be forced to now alter their day two and three draft strategy. Dallas now has a massive hole at the top of the tight end depth chart in addition to wide receiver. With top prospects such as Dallas Goedart and Courtland Sutton still available, it will certainly be interesting to see which position group the front office prioritizes.
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