Jason Witten joins exodus out the Dallas Cowboys door, will join Las Vegas Raiders
For all practical purposes, Jason Witten’s tenure with the Dallas Cowboys ended when he was not offered the job as lead tight ends coach under new head coach Mike McCarthy.
The Cowboys hired Lunda Wells for that job.
A lesser role was discussed but it was not to the liking of Witten, who also was seriously contemplating suiting up for a 17th season in the NFL.
Considering the coaching snub, the latter was not likely an option with the Cowboys.
The team officially moved at the position when they signed Witten’s former backup, Blake Jarwin, to a four-year, $28.25-million extension on Monday to take over as the lead tight end.
And Witten, the longest tenured player in Cowboys history, formally followed suit on Tuesday, agreeing to terms with the Las Vegas Raiders on a one-year deal.
He will join a couple of familiar faces as defensive tackle Maliek Collins and safety Jeff Heath also agreed to terms with the franchise.
That brings the number of former starters on the 2019 team to depart in free agency to six, as defensive end Robert Quinn (Chicago Bears), cornerback Byron Jones (Miami Dolphins) and receiver Randall Cobb (Houston Texans) have also left Dallas.
The Cowboys must now address a host of holes to fill at defensive end, defensive tackle, cornerback and slot receiver.
There, however, is no replacing Witten in the annals of Cowboys history as his departure is truly the end of an era.
In addition to holding the record for playing the most years in a Cowboys uniform at 16, Witten is the team’s all-time leader in games played (255), games started (244), consecutive games started (179), receptions (1,215) and receiving yards (12,977). He is tied with Bob Lilly for the most Pro Bowl selections (11). He is second in touchdown receptions (72).
Witten, who will turn 38 next season, caught 63 passes for 529 yards and four touchdowns in 2019 in what was his lowest production since he joined the Cowboys as a third-round pick in 2003.
But he proved to himself that he could still play and contribute.
Look for him to be doing that with the Raiders in 2020.
While the Cowboys said goodbye to Witten, they did bring back one ageless veteran in linebacker Sean Lee.
He and the Cowboys have agreed on a deal that will keep the linebacker in Dallas for an 11th season.
Lee played a full 16-game season for the first time in his career in 2019, starting 13, including seven in place of an injured Leigton Vander Esch at weakside linebacker. Vander Esch is expected to be ready by training camp after undergoing offseason neck surgery.
Lee will return as a starter at strong-side linebacker and serve as a high-profile insurance policy for Vander Esch.
Other moves made the Cowboys Tuesday including the return of backup safety Darion Thompson on a two-year deal, long snapper L.P. Ladouceur and declining the option on swing tackle Cam Fleming for 2020, making him a free agent and saving his $4 million base salary.
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 4:03 PM.
