In some absolutely shocking news around the NFL world, Dallas Cowboys tight end and future Hall of Famer Jason Witten is expected to retire from the National Football League to become the lead analyst on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
According to ESPN’s own Chris Mortensen, Witten will meet with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Friday before making a final decision.
Jason Witten is planning to retire after 15 years to join ESPN's new Monday Night Football broadcast team as a lead analyst but will meet today with owner Jerry Jones before making his decision final, per sources.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) April 27, 2018
Given that Witten just signed a restructured deal, this comes completely out of left field. One has to wonder exactly what happened behind the scenes in Dallas over the past couple weeks.
Linked to a career in broadcasting, Witten’s decision to join ESPN isn’t that big of a surprise. It just comes a lot earlier than most people anticipated. Remember, Witten just recently noted he wanted to play into his 40s.
A third-round pick of the Cowboys back in 2003, Witten ranks first in franchise history in both receptions and receiving yards.