The Dallas Cowboys have a huge hole to fill now that Jason Witten has retired. However, Cowboys fans can get their Jason Witten fix on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
The Dallas Cowboys knew it was coming. Despite all their best attempts to talk him out of it, tigth end Jason Witten has decided to retire, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.
And why not? Per OverTheCap.com, Witten was set to make $1 million in base salary with a $750,000 roster bonus. Meanwhile, the Cowboys cap will take on $4.7 million in dead money this upcoming season as a result.
Witten effectively traded in the roughly $1.75 million he was set to make this year for a reported $4.5 million offer to call games from a booth on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. Given his age, 36 years old, it was unlikely he was going to play out the remainder of his contract, which ran through 2021. Witten makes the move now and will save his body some unnecessary wear and tear along with increasing his overall earnings. Needless to say, this is a win for Witten.
As much as it is a win for Witten, it is a loss for the Cowboys. News of his potential retirement was leaked during the NFL Draft, prior to the start of Day 2. As the Cowboys scrambled to shift gears mid-draft, the Philadelphia Eagles were able to jump ahead of Dallas to pick up the best remaining tight end prospect in the draft, the aptly named Dallas Goedert.
Witten leaves the Cowboys as their all-time leader in receiving yards, games played, consecutive games played, starts and catches. He is third on all-time on Cowboys for touchdown receptions.
Now the Cowboys will need to replace a player who was solid not only in the passing game but also in the run game. His presence as a run blocker helped paved the way for Dallas’ daunting rushing attack.
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The Cowboys will certainly miss his presence on the field. But his absence will be most acute in the locker room. Witten was a leader in the locker room whose long term presence provided stability and direction for a team getting younger. A veteran presence like Witten’s is hard to replace.
Congratulations to Jason Witten on an outstanding career. The NFL lost a great one today.