Las Vegas Raiders tight end Jason Witten is retiring from the NFL after 17 seasons. Witten announced Wednesday that he plans to sign a one-day contract and retire as a member of his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, in March when his deal with the Raiders expires at the end of the 2020-21 league year.
The 38-year-old Witten spent 16 seasons with the Cowboys and played the 2020 campaign with the Raiders. No tight end in NFL history has played more games than Witten (271). Witten said on Wednesday, “A coach once told me, ‘The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example. As I hang it up, I walk away knowing that for 17 seasons I gave it my absolute all. I am proud of my accomplishments as a football player on the field and the example I tried to set off of it. Football is a great game that has taught me many valuable lessons, and I look forward to passing on that knowledge to the next generation.”
Witten initially retired from the NFL following the 2017 season and spent 2018 as an analyst on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. He later decided to return to the Cowboys in 2019.
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