Jason Witten is coming out of retirement and rejoining the Dallas Cowboys after one season as a television analyst.
The 36-year-old Witten said the “fire inside of me to compete and play this game is just burning too strong.” The Cowboys announced Thursday that the 11-time Pro Bowl tight end has agreed to a one-year contract worth approximately $5 million.
When he retired last May to become the lead analyst for “Monday Night Football,” Witten shared the record for most seasons as a Cowboy, 15, with three other players. Now he’s poised to add sole possession of that franchise mark to the list of team records he already has in games (239), starts (229), catches (1,152) and receiving yards (12,448).
“This team has a great group of rising young stars, and I want to help them make a run at a championship. This was completely my decision, and I am very comfortable with it,” said Witten, who played at the University of Tennessee before leaving after his junior season and being taken in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft.
Witten and Tony Gonzalez are the only NFL tight ends with at least 1,000 catches and 10,000 yards. Gonzalez will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer as a first-ballot selection.