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The Dallas Cowboys made a major commitment to the future of their tight end position when they signed Blake Jarwin to a contract extension on Monday. That deal signified that he is the starter for America’s Team for the foreseeable future.
Obviously Jarwin starting at tight end for the Cowboys means that Jason Witten, who emerged from retirement last year to return to Dallas, will not be. Witten had an okay year as far as his standards are concerned, but many felt that it was time for the Cowboys to move on from the future Hall of Famer.
While Dallas themselves moved on, it remained unknown what exactly Witten was going to do. Would he retire? Try to get into coaching (despite no spot on the Cowboys staff)? The answer is one that nobody expected.
Jason Witten is joining the Las Vegas Raiders
2020 will mark the first year that the Raiders will begin play in Las Vegas after a long and storied history in Oakland (and partly Los Angeles). They are led by head coach Jon Gruden and he is the figurehead for the organization as a whole.
Gruden returned to the NFL after a stint in the Monday Night Football booth. Of course it would make sense that Jason Witten would also join the Raiders after calling Monday night games. He is headed to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Former Cowboys’ TE Jason Witten reached agreement on a one-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, source tells ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2020
A veritable MNF booth in Vegas.
This is... shocking to say the least. Many have thought that if he did ultimately play in 2020 that the only non-Cowboys option would be the New York Giants (where Jason Garrett is now offensive coordinator), but the Raiders sort of emerged out of nowhere.
Jason Witten intends to sign a one-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, ending his time with the Dallas Cowboys after 16 seasons. According to a source, Witten can make up to $4.75 million in 2020.
Witten has accomplished so much throughout his career and the only thing missing is a Super Bowl ring. You have to figure that is the one thing he is chasing to this point and considering that he is choosing to play for the Raiders this season he clearly feels that this is a possibility.
The Raiders saw growth from a young tight end prospect in 2019 in Darren Waller, so it’s not like Jason Witten is going somewhere that is in drastic need of a tight end. He clearly feels that this is the best option for him, and we wish him all of the best luck moving forward.