Tight end Jason Witten is returning to the Dallas Cowboys after signing a contract to play for another four years. ESPN reporter Todd Archer initially reported the news that was later confirmed on the team’s official Twitter page. This will be the fourth contact that Witten has signed since he started his NFL career with the Cowboys in 2003.
New contract
The new contract has Witten signed to play with the team until 2021, making him one of the longest-tenured Cowboys in history. As for the financial side of his contract, there is no clear answer as to how much he will be making.
However, several reports indicate that the team might be lowering his cap of $12 million dollars, giving the team more space to work with elsewhere.
Witten’s history with the NFL
Witten was a third-round (69th overall) draft pick for the Dallas Cowboys during the 2003 NFL Draft. The University of Tennessee alumni was only twenty years old when he joined the team during that time. In his first year, he started seven games, registered 35 receptions for 347 receiving yards and scored one touchdown.
He went on to continue to be an asset for the team, setting records not only for the team but also for the NFL as a whole. Some of the highlights of Jason Witten's career include being the second tight end in history to catch 1,000 or more receptions (second only to Tony Gonzalez), having the most receptions in a single game (18 during the January 3, 2017, game) and playing the most consecutive games as a Dallas Cowboy.
Also, he was the 2012 recipient of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
Near-perfect attendance
Witten has only missed one full game in his fourteen-year career. This occurred when he broke his jaw during a game against the Arizona Cardinals in 2003. He went on to play the rest of the season, earning respect and admiration of then-coach Bill Parcells and many others in the NFL. Witten also missed part of a game in 2010 after suffering a concussion during a match against the Chicago Bears.