Why are you questioning Witten’s intentions? Witten has always been a real pro and he has always put the team first. At this point, he knows his limitations and his place on the team. Even at his age, he will be the best TE on the team and he can help the team a lot due to the upgraded talent surrounding him.
I don’t question Witten’s intentions or his motivations. But I certainly question his 37 year old abilities. Witten MAY be the best TE on the roster, and he may not be. At his age, after taking a year off, there are no guarantees he’s even as good as he was in 2017, which was not one of his “great” seasons. Jason Witten has nothing to prove. He’s a HOFer. I wish he would have stayed retired because I respect him so much.
Very few NFL TEs have great stats over the age of 32. Tony Gonzalez, arguably the greatest TE in football history retired at 37 even though he still caught 83 passes in his final season. Shannon Sharpe, who retired at 35, caught 93 passes in his final season. Some argued they both should have kept playing but they both knew when it was time.
NFL history is littered with great players at multiple positions, even HOFers who too often didn’t know when it was their time to retire. Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Deion Sanders, Jerry Rice, and Junior Seau, all played longer than they should have. In fact, the last year or two of their careers did nothing to bolster their status as an all time great.
This isn’t a bash Jason Witten post. It’s just an honest expression of my respect for what he’s done while realizing the odds are long that he will be what he once was.