Jason Witten has reportedly decided to trade in his helmet for a microphone.
According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, Witten has informed Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jason Garrett that he is retiring from playing to take a job as the lead analyst for “Monday Night Football.”
“Witten struggled with the decision for the last week, but opted to walk away from the game,” Archer was told by sources.
The report is consistent with what ESPN’s Chris Mortensen said nearly a week ago.
Witten is an 11-time Pro Bowler and will almost certainly be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. He finishes his playing career with 1,152 catches, which ranks fourth all time behind only Jerry Rice, Tony Gonzalez and Larry Fitzgerald. He spent all 15 seasons of his career with the Cowboys and appeared in every single game for the last 14.
While Witten proved he was still capable of producing last season with 63 catches for 560 yards and five touchdowns, the offer ESPN made him was simply too good to pass up.
