Jason Witten didn't waste any time deciding what he'll do post-retirement. The 38-year-old will sign a one-day contract with the Dallas Cowboys when his one-year contract officially expires with the Las Vegas Raiders in March, ending his illustrious NFL career for a second time in three years. It looks like this time, however, it will stick, with Witten noting how he "gave it his all" and now having accepted a role to join the coaching ranks -- at the high school level.
Witten has accepted the role of head coach for Liberty Christian School, they announced on Monday, taking the reins where his children attend school.
It will allow Witten to remain in Dallas -- the school is located in Argyle, Texas, minutes northwest of downtown -- in a move that dismisses speculation linking him to his beloved University of Tennessee. And his path to this point was a bit of a winding road, and one that included a stop in the broadcast booth (something he admitted "sucked"), so it stands to reason he wouldn't look to revisit that avenue or anything similar following his second retirement. Witten noted one year ago the decision on his future would be "quick", but was instead anything but.
After discussions with the Cowboys and incoming head coach Mike McCarthy, it was determined there was no roster fit for him in Dallas, which led to him signing a one-year, $4.25 million deal with the Raiders.
Witten left the Cowboys as the franchise's all-time leader in receiving yards (12,977) and although he was unable to tie Dez Bryant's all-time receiving touchdown mark, Witten's count of 72 is still good enough for second and won't be matched for a very long time. And he'll now take his legendary football IQ to the high school ranks, but it seems a foregone conclusion that's just the beginning of his new chapter.
