{"id":104309,"date":"2021-02-16T20:06:18","date_gmt":"2021-02-17T01:06:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=104309"},"modified":"2021-02-16T20:06:18","modified_gmt":"2021-02-17T01:06:18","slug":"jason-witten-retire-dallas-cowboy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/02\/16\/jason-witten-retire-dallas-cowboy\/","title":{"rendered":"Jason Witten Plans to Retire With Dallas Cowboys"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When the NFL\u2019s free agency begins, March 17th 4pm ET, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/W\/WittJa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jason Witten<\/a> plans to leave the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/raiders\/\" target=\"_self\">Las Vegas Raiders<\/a> and sign a one-day contract with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/cowboys\/\" target=\"_self\">Dallas Cowboys<\/a>. Once signing the contract, Jason Witten will officially retire as a Cowboy. Witten\u2019s 17-season career will come to an end after a long and illustrious career as a Cowboy, and briefly as a Raider. The future Hall of Famer had a prolific career as a big-bodied, sure-handed target. Witten\u2019s ability to move the chains resulted in high volume targets as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/R\/RomoTo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tony Romo<\/a>\u2019s frequently-used safety valve.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Jason Witten is retiring after 17 years in the NFL, per <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/toddarcher?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@toddarcher<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s going to a sign a one-day deal with the Cowboys. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/A2AtGeL1sb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/A2AtGeL1sb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; B\/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/brgridiron\/status\/1354537431584931840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 27, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Farewell to One of the Greats: Jason Witten Plans to Retire as a Cowboy<\/h2>\n<p>[pickup_prop id=&#8221;3986&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3>Witten Was One of the Most Productive Tight Ends in NFL History<\/h3>\n<p>Witten began his career with a slow start in 2003. He logged 35 catches on 54 targets with 1 touchdown. His second season, however, yielded a pro bowl selection. The future hall of fame tight end narrowly missed 1,000 receiving yards (980 yards on 87 catches) and caught 6 touchdowns. Witten earned a pro bowl selection 10 more times and the all-pro team twice over the next 14 seasons. Witten ranks fourth all time in receptions with 1,228 catches. He trails <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=RiceJe00,RiceJe01&amp;search=Jerry+Rice&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jerry Rice<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/F\/FitzLa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Larry Fitzgerald<\/a>, and only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/G\/GonzTo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tony Gonzalez<\/a> at his own position in this category. Jason Witten ranks 19<sup>th<\/sup> in receiving yards with 13,046yards, and second amongst all tight ends trailing only Gonzalez with 15,127 yards. Witten also ranks 38<sup>th<\/sup> in touchdowns with 74, including fifth among all tight ends trailing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/G\/GrahJi00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jimmy Graham<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/G\/GronRo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rob Gronkowski<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/G\/GateAn00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Antonio Gates<\/a>, and yes\u2026 Tony Gonzalez.<\/p>\n<h3>Success in Dallas<\/h3>\n<p>Aside from tremendous NFL success, Witten dominates the record books for all Cowboys. Witten ranks 1,215 (First) receptions 12,977 (First) yards, 72 touchdowns (Third), and 255 games played (First) in a Dallas Cowboys uniform. Jason Witten has undoubtedly been the most productive pass catcher in Dallas Cowboys history.<\/p>\n<p>(<a href=\"https:\/\/jasonwitten82.com\/bio\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/jasonwitten82.com\/bio\/<\/a>)<\/p>\n<h3>Off the Field Success<\/h3>\n<p>Witten\u2019s success spans further than catching the football. In 2012 Witten was named the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/P\/PaytWa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Walter Payton<\/a> NFL Man of the Year. Prior to winning the award, Witten served as the Dallas Cowboys spokesman for NFL Play 60 and helped with the SCORE foundation. The SCORRE foundation served to help building projects in needed areas of Tennessee and Texas. Witten also served as a social figure to stop domestic violence. His JWSF SCOREkeepers program placed trained male mentors into battered women\u2019s shelters to exemplify positive male role models to disrupt the cycle of domestic violence. Witten\u2019s SCOREkeepers foundation also looks to positively influence community building learning centers, partnering with Albertsons in feeding children in need, and other community projects to positively influence the next generation.<\/p>\n<h3>Multigenerational Tight End<\/h3>\n<p>Witten overlapped with Romo and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/P\/PresDa01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dak Prescott<\/a>. Jason Witten served the same role with the then rookie quarterback, molding Prescott into the MVP-esque prolific passer he is today. The veteran tight end caught 69 and 63 passes with 673 and 560 yards in two seasons with Prescott under center. He complimented his receiving stats with eight touchdowns in that time span earning a pro bowl selection in 2017. Without Witten and the veteran supporting cast, it is unlikely Prescott matures into the offensive superstar he is now.<\/p>\n<h3>Witten\u2019s Post-NFL Career<\/h3>\n<p>After Witten\u2019s initial retirement, he chose to pursue a career on Monday Night Football. Unfortunately, his reviews were primarily negative. Witten was quoted saying \u201cit sucked going through it at times,\u201d when discussing his short career as a commentator. Furthermore, ESPN is not expected to offer Witten another contract to re-enter the booth.<\/p>\n<p>Witten\u2019s success, both on and off the field, is likely to result in a first ball hall of fame commendation. He becomes eligible for the hall of fame in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Witten will focus on coaching in his retirement. His name was considered for the head coaching position at the University of Tennessee. However, Witten has chosen to become the head coach at Liberty Christian High School in Argyle, Texas where his children attend. When asked about his decision to coach high school football, Witten replied \u201cFaith. Family. Football.\u201d He claims to strive to be the best husband and father he can be.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Liberty Athletics is proud to announce Jason Witten as the new Head Football Coach!! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/FORHIM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#FORHIM<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ARMORUP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#ARMORUP<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/L0BmFduj8f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/L0BmFduj8f<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Liberty Athletics (@NavyOut) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NavyOut\/status\/1356308622779817987?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 1, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Main photo:<br \/>\n<a id=\"zA0VurmwQWZtBNxzMmnurA\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1196570972\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'zA0VurmwQWZtBNxzMmnurA',sig:'blC4_ZZCnTS4fkTJz4o_QUOmarTUUHsEszcUBwr5NQI=',w:'594px',h:'387px',items:'1196570972',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When the NFL\u2019s free agency begins, March 17th 4pm ET, Jason Witten plans to leave the Las Vegas Raiders and sign a one-day contract with the Dallas Cowboys. Once signing the contract, Jason Witten will officially retire as a Cowboy. Witten\u2019s 17-season career will come to an end after a long and illustrious career as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3737,"featured_media":104385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19,2,17,36],"tags":[7422,61,667,7399,40,246],"class_list":["post-104309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cowboys","category-featured","category-raiders","category-nfl-news","tag-dallas-cowboys-news","tag-football","tag-jason-witten","tag-las-vegas-raiders-news","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-news"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3737"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}