Free agent tight end Jason Witten intends to play a 17th NFL season in 2020, and he hopes to do so with the team that drafted him, the Dallas Cowboys.
But the pending free agent also understands that he might have to play for a new team.
“Right now, I want to play while I can,” Witten told reporters Tuesday at the Cowboys’ facility in Frisco, Texas. “We’ll see where that takes place. Of course, I want that to be with the Dallas Cowboys. I’ll always be a Dallas Cowboy. But I also understand that, with all the changes, I may have to go somewhere else.”
Witten, 37, said he had “a really good visit” with new head coach Mike McCarthy and has been in “constant communication” with owner Jerry Jones and vice president Stephen Jones. He hopes to resolve the situation after the NFL Scouting Combine, which runs from Feb. 23 to March 1. Free agency begins March 18.
“It’s taken a little longer that I had hoped for, but obviously with so many changes inside the building, (we’re) trying to work through that,” Witten said.
If the Cowboys do not bring Witten back, reports have said he could join the division-rival New York Giants, where longtime Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett is now the offensive coordinator.
An 11-time Pro Bowler, Witten came out of retirement last year, leaving the Monday Night Football broadcast booth to rejoin the Cowboys after one season away. He caught 63 passes for 529 yards and four touchdowns, just about in line with his production in 2017. He has missed just one game due to injury in his career, way back in his rookie season of 2003.
Witten said he intends to get into coaching in the future, but first, he hopes to get another shot at his first Super Bowl title.
“I hope that it’s here just because there’s nothing I want more than to bring a championship here,” he said. “I think this team is close. I think it really has the makeup to do some special things.”
