Jason Witten says he’s open to moving on from Dallas Cowboys. ‘I think I have to be.’
Future Hall of Fame tight end Jason Witten was back at the Dallas Cowboys headquarters Tuesday night to give out the Collegiate Man of the Year Award named in his honor.
Trey Smith of Tennessee won the award that honors exemplary leadership by a college player. Isaiah Sanders of Air Force and Michael Pittman Jr. of Southern California were the two other finalists.
While the focus was about the Jason Witten Man of the Year Award, the biggest question overshadowing the ceremony was Witten’s future.
Will he be back with the Cowboys for a 17th season in 2020 or will he be continuing his career with another team?
That the Cowboys have not made a decision on whether they want Witten back speaks volumes about their possible plans to move on.
But Witten, 37, reiterated what he said at the Super Bowl in Miami two weeks ago. He wants to continue playing and hopes it’s with a Cowboys team he believes is a contender.
But he’s resolved to play football as long as he can regardless of locale.
“I hope that it’s here just because there’s nothing I want more than to bring a championship here. I think this team is close. I think it really has the makeup to do some special things.”
Witten caught 63 passes for 529 yards and four touchdowns in 2019 after coming out of a one-year retirement to work at ESPN. He said he proved to himself that he can still play.
Now, the decision is in the hands of the Cowboys and new coach Mike McCarthy.
Witten met with McCarthy after he was hired to place the fired Jason Garrett. And after briefly considering going into coaching, he has since let McCarthy know he plans to play.
Although he has only talked to McCarthy once, he has been in constant communication with owner Jerry Jones and vice president Stephen Jones.
He hopes a decision is made shortly after next week’s NFL Scouting Combine so he can determine his direction before free agency.
“Well, it’s taken a lot longer than I had hoped for, but I think obviously with so many changes happening inside the [Cowboys’] building, just working through that,” Witten said. “... I feel like I still have something to give.”
He again said he is open to playing with another team.
“I think I have to be,” Witten said. “Obviously that’s not ideal. I would love to finish it out here. Coaching is in my future, but right now, I want to play while I can. We’ll see where that takes place. Of course, I want that to be with the Dallas Cowboys. I’ll always be a Dallas Cowboy. But I also understand that, with all the changes, I may have to go somewhere else.”
Look for Blake Jarwin to assume a bigger role if Witten doesn’t come back, though the Cowboys could possibly draft a tight end and/or explore free agent options like Eric Ebron and Austin Hooper to supplement the position.
If Witten finishes his career elsewhere he will follow in the footsteps of Cowboys greats Emmitt Smith and Larry Allen, who were forced out of town when a coach Bill Parcells arrived in 2003.
Witten was a rookie in 2003.
“Yeah, it is strange,” Witten said. “I’m forever blessed to play 16 years for one team, never hit free agency. But I also understand the business of this game. And, so, no hard feelings on that end, having those conversations. I’m not naive enough that I could be somewhere else. So, we’ll talk that through as the time comes.”
This story was originally published February 18, 2020 at 8:53 PM.
