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Jason Witten ends retirement and is returning to the Cowboys (1 Viewer)

Or:  Aging veteran is still better than any TE on the Cowboys roster and was about to be fired from their TV gig because they were worse than Dennis Miller
What is the main criticism of Witten in the booth?  For me personally I feel like he's too loud  and talks too much.

Or is it Tony Romo I'm thinking about?  Hell, I don't know.

 
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I've got a little insight in this from friends close to him. He wasn't worried at all about being fired. His contract was guaranteed. Jimmy Sexton doesn't do weak contracts. Just ask Auburn fans...

The main thing was he clearly isn't a natural for announcing like Romo is. And he wasn't ready to retire last year. The Gruden thing opened a spot and was offered to him and he made the call. Turns out he missed Football more than he thought he would. And wasn't drawn to the TV work like he thought he would be. He knows it's a limited situation. But has been encourged by older guys like Antonio Gates. I think it'll work best for everyone. 

 
Or:  Aging veteran is still better than any TE on the Cowboys roster and was about to be fired from their TV gig because they were worse than Dennis Miller
What is the main criticism of Witten in the booth?  For me personally I feel like he's too loud  and talks too much.

Or is it Tony Romo I'm thinking about?  Hell, I don't know.
He stumbled over words, his jokes fell flat, and he rarely provided solid insight into the game.

I don't think he was any worse than most ex-jocks, but the expectations were set fairly high because he was given a prominent slot. Had he started off at the bottom of the "color guy ladder", he might have been able to spend a year smoothing out the kinks before being promoted to the big leagues.

 
Or:  Aging veteran is still better than any TE on the Cowboys roster and was about to be fired from their TV gig because they were worse than Dennis Miller
Dennis Miller >>>>>>>>

>>>≥>>>>>>>>>>>>>

:tier break:

≥>>>>>>>>>≥>>>>>>>>

Jason Witten

 
Honestly, I think this move probably is bad for Dallas. Witten hadn't been a difference maker in years, we don't know what kind of shape he is in, and he possibly delays them from finding a real answer at TE, even if that guy is Jarwin.

I think Gates has shown more in recent years than Witten had, and obviously they have Hunter Henry, and better weapons in general. The Gates role, is not something I see Witten coming back to play. I am just guessing, but I doubt he'd have made this move without assurances that the starting job is his.

 
Honestly, I think this move probably is bad for Dallas. Witten hadn't been a difference maker in years, we don't know what kind of shape he is in, and he possibly delays them from finding a real answer at TE, even if that guy is Jarwin.

I think Gates has shown more in recent years than Witten had, and obviously they have Hunter Henry, and better weapons in general. The Gates role, is not something I see Witten coming back to play. I am just guessing, but I doubt he'd have made this move without assurances that the starting job is his.
Shows how dumb Dallas is. 

 
3.5M is insane unless it's all incentives. He's a vet min+incentives type guy at this stage no matter how important he is to the franchise. 

 
3.5M is insane unless it's all incentives. He's a vet min+incentives type guy at this stage no matter how important he is to the franchise. 
Agreed.  Moves like this are why the Cowboys had to tag Lawrence, but will now overpay...possibly miss out on Earl Thomas, etc.  Bad cap management.  Just wait until they overpay Dak long-term.

 
Ilov80s said:
Shows how dumb Dallas is. 
 You obviously hate the Cowboys. You literally just post negative one-liners about them every time they brought up and then when I asked you about it you never responded. If you’re just gonna say stupid ####, show your work.

 
Agreed.  Moves like this are why the Cowboys had to tag Lawrence, but will now overpay...possibly miss out on Earl Thomas, etc.  Bad cap management.  Just wait until they overpay Dak long-term.
This is hilarious....

Tell me about all the bad move they’ve made the past five years.  What were the bad moves that lead to Dallas having to franchise Lawrence last year? 

Please explain how the cowboys have been bad at cap management? 

 
 You obviously hate the Cowboys. You literally just post negative one-liners about them every time they brought up and then when I asked you about it you never responded. If you’re just gonna say stupid ####, show your work.
I don't mind the Cowboys. I think their ownership, management and coaching is pretty subpar though. I don't see the benefit of adding a 37 year old TE who hasn't played football in a year and who'se last seaosn saw saw <9 yards per reception which last year would have been 93rd amonst NFL TEs. I didn't realize I regularly post negative things about Dallas though. I do remember mocking their signing of Tavon Austin and I feel like I was right about that. 

Also feel free to come and dump on the Lions in that thread. Lord knows they deserve it...speaking of potentially stupid management/coaching, they specialize  in it. 

 
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I don't mind the Cowboys. I think their ownership, management and coaching is pretty subpar though. I don't see the benefit of adding a 37 year old TE who hasn't played football in a year and who'se last seaosn saw saw <9 yards per reception which last year would have been 93rd amonst NFL TEs. I didn't realize I regularly post negative things about Dallas though. I do remember mocking their signing of Tavon Austin and I feel like I was right about that. 
Out of all of the NFL franchises you think the Jones family is one of the worst owners? So weird that all the employees and former players LOVE the Jones family for always taking care of them. The NFL thought enough of him to elect him into the HOF. But you say they’re bad. OK.

The front off is bad? Really? IIRC, with the exception of Mo Claiborne and Taco Charlton, every other Dallas first round pick has been selected first team All Pro. They have one of the youngest rosters in the league and would be the youngest if not for their long snapper. Their entire starting offensive line is under 30. In fact, other than Sean Lee, the long snapper and one other guy I’m forgetting, literally every other player is under 30. They have managed the cap extremely well, drafted well and made tough decisions like cutting Dez. 

Tayvon Austin may not have worked out as planned but he cost the Cowboys a whopping $3 million for two years. The rams took care of the other 4. 

 
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Out of all of the NFL franchises you think the Jones family is one of the worst owners? So weird that all the employees and former players LOVE the Jones family for always taking care of them. The NFL thought enough of him to elect him into the HOF. But you say they’re bad. OK.

The front off is bad? Really? IIRC, with the exception of Mo Claiborne and Taco Charlton, every other Dallas first round pick has been selected first team All Pro. They have one of the youngest rosters in the league and would be the youngest if not for their long snapper. Their entire starting offensive line is under 30. In fact, other than Sean Lee, the long snapper and one other guy I’m forgetting, literally every other player is under 30. They have managed the cap extremely well, drafted well and made tough decisions like cutting Dez. 

Tayvon Austin may not have worked out as planned but he cost the Cowboys a whopping $3 million for two years. The rams took care of the other 4. 
I will say they have done well with their drafts recently and I really do like their core. I wish the staff would open up the offense more. I am sure the players like them and the quality of the work envrionment certainly does matter to the players. I have heard some stories from people who supposedly have inside knowledge there (Marcus Mosher) that painted a very old school backwards front office. For example, he said the coaches really wanted Honey Badger but the Jones family was on vacation on some tropical island and weren't available by phone so they couldn't try to sign him. Mosher could be full of #### though.

 
Does Dallas just feel they owe this to Witten? It's a terrible move from a football standpoint. Witten was terrible when he last played and that will now be two seasons ago. Doesn't make sense but obviously doesn't kill them.

At least he's out of the booth. He was just such a bad fit there. Very nice guy but just couldn't get the rhythm down and really added nothing as far as insight.

 
He's going to play the Gates role, that is so obvious to me that I didn't realize anyone hadn't yet figured it out.

 
Credit card cap management.

No they haven't.  In fact the Cowboys had the 3rd most dead money just last season.

link
Lmao

Romo retired and they moved on from Dez- Those two were the last of the bad contracts. They offset that cost by paying Dak $640k last year. 

How much money do they have this offseason? $125 million. Admittedly most will go to Dlaw, Dak, Cooper and possibly Zeke or Jones, but those are all young and talented players. They have everyone else on the books on their rookie deals. 

How much dead money in 2019?

 1.7 million. 

They have done a great job at pretty much everything the past 4 or 5 years and you have Mr. Stephen Jones to thank for that. 

 
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Does Dallas just feel they owe this to Witten? It's a terrible move from a football standpoint. Witten was terrible when he last played and that will now be two seasons ago. Doesn't make sense but obviously doesn't kill them.

At least he's out of the booth. He was just such a bad fit there. Very nice guy but just couldn't get the rhythm down and really added nothing as far as insight.
Agreed, terrible move, Witten was basically a liability from 2015-on. 

 
3.5 million for 25-30 snaps a game.

WTF?
OMG THREE POINT FIVE MILLION!!?!?!??!?! OMG!!!!!

Some of you are showing your age. That ranks him as the 20th highest paid TE in a league where he’s probably still top 10. There will be another 3-5 guys who will get signed for more this offseason. It isn’t a lot of money. 

 
OMG THREE POINT FIVE MILLION!!?!?!??!?! OMG!!!!!

Some of you are showing your age. That ranks him as the 20th highest paid TE in a league where he’s probably still top 10. There will be another 3-5 guys who will get signed for more this offseason. It isn’t a lot of money. 
He's not even playing a third of the snaps. Was Blake Jarwin so bad you couldn't have split their time again? Heck how much would he have cost to play half the offensive snaps? I mean I liked what I saw out of Jarwin.

 
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He's not even playing a third of the snaps. Was Blake Jarwin so bad you couldn't have split their time again? Heck how much would he have cost to play half the offensive snaps?
Who says Witten is coming off the field? They play a ton of two and three TE sets. Jarwin had one good game. 

People are hilarious and the hyperbole of this on this board has reached TMZ level of ridiculousness. Last year the Cowboys were bare at TE, now all of a sudden it’s not a need and Jarwin is a stud. 

This is so great. :lmao:

 
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Who says Witten is coming off the field? They play a ton of two and three TE sets. Jarwin had one good game. 

People are hilarious and the hyperbole of this on this board has reached TMZ level of ridiculousness. Last year the Cowboys were bare at TE, now all of a sudden it’s not a need and Jarwin is a stud. 

This is so great. :lmao:
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports Jason Witten will play roughly "25 snaps a game" in 2019.

That's the Antonio Gates diet. Gates averaged 23 snaps per game in 2018. $3.5 million is a lot of money for a 37-year-old who is only going to be on the field for roughly one third of the plays, but the Cowboys were apparently that desperate to get Witten out of the broadcast booth and back into a tight end group that struggled mightily without him in 2018. If he's truly playing that little, Witten is going to catch fewer than 60 passes for the first time since 2003.
... I think it would be unrealistic for Witten to come back after a year off and be a full time player... maybe he could morph back into that, but not early in the year unless his conditioning is fantastic right now.

 
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Who says Witten is coming off the field? They play a ton of two and three TE sets. Jarwin had one good game. 

People are hilarious and the hyperbole of this on this board has reached TMZ level of ridiculousness. Last year the Cowboys were bare at TE, now all of a sudden it’s not a need and Jarwin is a stud. 

This is so great. :lmao:
Witten has been under 10 ypc all of his final 3 seasons, his last season he didn't even have a single play over 30 yards. He offers no downfield threat, no real redzone threat, and he's had year off, which is almost never a good thing, especially when you are on the wrong side of 30. One year of rest isn't bringing 2010 Witten back, all its doing is giving them another year where Dallas could use an upgrade at the position.  

Nobody else would have given Witten 3.5 million. I don't think Jarwin is a stud, but I'd rather take my chances with him(and Swain/Schultz)  and the extra 3.5 million than bring back a guy who wasn't productive when he left. 

 
Who says Witten is coming off the field? They play a ton of two and three TE sets. Jarwin had one good game. 

People are hilarious and the hyperbole of this on this board has reached TMZ level of ridiculousness. Last year the Cowboys were bare at TE, now all of a sudden it’s not a need and Jarwin is a stud. 

This is so great. :lmao:
Truth

 
I actually agree with STEADYMOBBIN22 and Cowboysfan8 here. 

We will see what Witten has left in the tank to the tune of 3.5 million. Seems like a gamble, but not a terrible one, given that he's at worst a check down for Dak (who might lose Beasley in the off-season). 

If -- if -- he can still run intermediate routes and find soft spots in zones, then Dallas is ahead of the game here.  

 
37 year old vet with 15 years of tread off the tires and a year off?

I know he has meant much to the franchise but I don't know.... 45 receptions for 400 yards?  Give me youth any day.

 
He's going to play the Gates role, that is so obvious to me that I didn't realize anyone hadn't yet figured it out.
Good point. Every team needs a plodding 250 pound veteran who can't run more than 10 yards at time getting 55 targets. 

 
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The announcement regarding Witten made my sad. It reminds me of a punch-drunk boxer that continues fighting for a pay check. Witten was a great TE in his prime. He is well beyond that at his age. This is just going to sully his career. Sad.

 
When they’re all for first downs it’s ok. Ask our division rivals about Witten. 

Is he fast? No. Does he get open? Yes.
In 2017, Witten caught the 79th most 1st downs in the NFL so that's not bad. Gates was 112th in 1st downs caught for 2017- that was 4th or 5th on the team!

 
OMG THREE POINT FIVE MILLION!!?!?!??!?! OMG!!!!!

Some of you are showing your age. That ranks him as the 20th highest paid TE in a league where he’s probably still top 10. There will be another 3-5 guys who will get signed for more this offseason. It isn’t a lot of money. 
Witten is a top 10 TE currently? 

 
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I've got a little insight in this from friends close to him. He wasn't worried at all about being fired. His contract was guaranteed. Jimmy Sexton doesn't do weak contracts. Just ask Auburn fans...

The main thing was he clearly isn't a natural for announcing like Romo is. And he wasn't ready to retire last year. The Gruden thing opened a spot and was offered to him and he made the call. Turns out he missed Football more than he thought he would. And wasn't drawn to the TV work like he thought he would be. He knows it's a limited situation. But has been encourged by older guys like Antonio Gates. I think it'll work best for everyone. 
From what I heard last night Witten might have been paid but he was not coming back.

Witten is old and slow but I guess they think he still can add something as a situational player. Witten did not learn from watching an old Emmitt his last few years.

What does concern me is that when players miss a season at 27-28 they can bounce back.  When players are 35-36 and miss a season it is more difficult to adjust to the speed of the game.

This will be his lasy year and then he will probably end up being a TE coach as he probably wants the day to day involvement with the game.

 
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I have to laugh at the people ragging on the Cowboys for this move. At worst, it's a move that doesn't improve their TE's but probably doesn't hurt their TE production since it wasn't very good anyway. The $3.5 million is very small when you consider the Cowboys cap situation. At best, he gives them someone who can get them key first downs in key situations or even some red zone TD's. This move has very little downside with a chance for some small upside. The only downside is if he were to take away from another TE's development but I don't think he will play all that much too significantly affect another TE. At least one if not two of the other 4 TE's will probably be cut.

 

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