ESPN’s Todd Archer reported Wednesday that Witten will sign a one-day contract with the Dallas Cowboys and retire as a member of the franchise that drafted him in the third round out of Tennessee in 2003.
The 38-year-old, who previously retired after the 2017 campaign but returned for the 2019 season—his 16th with the Cowboys—joined the Las Vegas Raiders for 2020. His contract with the team expires in March.
According to Spotrac, Witten has collected more than $80 million through his 17 seasons in the league.
His deal with the Raiders was worth $4.75 million, and he racked up $77,057,482 in his tenure with the Cowboys.
That’s a payout worthy of what legacy he has left with the franchise, considering he is the Cowboys’ all-time leader in receptions (1,215) and yards (12,977) and has the 72 touchdown receptions, which ranks second all-time in franchise history. His 245 starts through 255 games are both team records. Per Archer, he missed one game in his career, when he broke his jaw as a rookie in 2003.
For all of Witten’s on-field records, his salary also ranks him among the team’s highest-paid players. While it doesn’t quite reach the $127.4 million payout Tony Romo logged with the Cowboys, he ranks fifth all-time in earnings from the franchise.
It’s unclear where his paycheck will come from now. When Witten retired in 2017, he spent the 2018 season as an analyst on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, but Archer said he “has been linked to opportunities in the NFL and college levels immediately.”
