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Jason Witten agreed to a contract Thursday to rejoin the Dallas Cowboys for the 2019 season, the team announced.
Witten, 36, made a surprise retirement announcement last spring and joined ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” booth for the 2018 season.
But the tight end, who is ranked fourth all-time in receptions and was destined for the Hall of Fame in five years, has put that enshrinement on hold to return to Dallas for a 16th NFL season.
“The fire inside of me to compete and play this game is just burning too strong,“ Witten said in a news release issued by the Cowboys. “This team has a great group of rising young stars and I want to help them make a run at a championship. This was completely my decision and I am very comfortable with it. I’m looking forward to getting back in the dirt.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday that Witten started to debate a return to the Cowboys during the 2018 regular season. Despite frequent criticism for his work alongside Joe Tessitore in the broadcast booth, ESPN had committed to his return in 2019. He had a four-year deal wtih the network.
Schefter tweeted that Witten is returning to the NFL on a one-year, $3.5 million contract. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported via Twitter that the deal could be worth $5 million with incentives.
A third-round pick in the 2003 draft from Tennessee, Witten has played only for the Cowboys. He is a two-time first-team All-Pro and an 11-time Pro Bowl selection.
The 6-foot-6, 263-pound Witten has 1,152 career receptions and 68 touchdowns, He had a career-best 110 receptions in 2012, setting an NFL record for receptions in a season by a tight end. He had 18 catches in a game during the 2012 season, also an NFL record for a tight end.
His list of Cowboys records is plentiful, including career receptions, receiving yards and most consecutive seasons with a reception. His 68 receiving TDs are third most in Cowboys history.
A potential replacement for Witten in the TV booth is Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen, who reportedly has been pursued by both FOX and ESPN. Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said Thursday that Olsen “has told me he wants to play” in 2019, however.
–Field Level Media