Jason Witten wants to play in 2020, and knows it may not be with the Dallas Cowboys
One year after coming out of a one-year retirement to return to the Dallas Cowboys, tight end Jason Witten has no plans of walking away again.
He wants to coach one day but that will have to wait as Witten told the Rich Eisen Show that he plans to play in 2020, marking a 17th season in the NFL.
“No I don’t think so,” Witten said when asked about retiring. “I’m going to take a little time and — I’ve had one go around at this and it’s debatable how that ended up for me there. I just want to be deliberate in the process of knowing what it takes to play. I’m proud of the way I played, I think I want to make another run at that.
“I know this: the opportunity to play, when that leaves, it is over. A big part of me has been tied to coaching and I want to get into coaching and make a difference that way. But there is a lot of time to coach and very little time left for me to play. So I’ve got a little time to make my decision but I think I’m leaning towards that.”
Witten would like to return to the Cowboys but understands that if he plays, he might have to do it somewhere else given the change in coaches from Jason Garrett to Mike McCarthy.
Witten caught 63 passes for 529 yards and four touchdowns last season. The receptions and yards were the second-lowest of his career dating back to his rookie season when he had 35 catches for 347 yards in only seven starts.
“I have 16 years in Dallas,” Witten said. “I would love to finish it off there. But I also understand and am not naive. It may need to be somewhere else. I think that’s how this business works. So you have to be open to that idea, for sure. The biggest thing is having those open conversations with Jerry [Jones], Stephen [Jones], and Mike [McCarthy] and see where this thing takes us in the next couple of months.”
“I think anytime you have a new coach come in the most important thing for a veteran player like myself is [to ask] what’s the role? What are you expecting of me? Here are my expectations going into that. It’s about finding that line and that fit. When you get to this point in your career it is winning and knowing where you’re going to contribute. That’s all it is. Regardless of what you’ve done in the past.”
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 9:32 AM.
