Jason Witten is coming back to play for the Dallas Cowboys, but Doug Gottlieb has a theory/blazing hot take about the end game.
Not everyone can be Tony Romo, and Jason Witten learned that the hard way during his first season in the Monday Night Football booth. Whether he read writing on the wall that he’d be taken off the marquee broadcast, or just had an itch to play, the 11-time Pro Bowler will return for a 16th season playing with the Dallas Cowboys.
At first glance, $3.5 million with a max of $5 million if he reaches incentives is a lot to pay a 37-year old tight end to play 25 snaps per game. But in 2017, Witten nearly equaled the production Dallas got out of all their tight ends last year. Even in a part-time role after a year off the field, he can be a reliable target for Dak Prescott.
Witten’s plans after what will surely be only one comeback season are unclear, especially if he didn’t like “the TV life.”
But never fear, Fox Sports Radio host Doug Gottlieb has a scorching hot take which doubles as a theory regarding Witten’s future.
While it’s true being a Monday Night Football announcer is generally a long-term gig, Witten was not long for it unless he improved during a second season.
A promise he’ll be the next Cowboys’ head coach, though? Even for owner Jerry Jones, who brazenly does things his way, that would be aggressive. Current head coach Jason Garrett is being hung out to dry as a lame duck this year, so the dots can easily be connected to a new coach in 2020.
But a far better bet than Witten to replace Garrett is New Orleans Saints’ head coach Sean Payton, who is an apple of Jones’ eye and may be open to other opportunities if Drew Brees (albeit surprisingly) retires after the 2019 season.
Witten was not always eloquent in the booth, too often leaning on clichés and failing to show a deep knowledge of the game. A return to the field as a player is an easy step, whether he’s successful or not, but the idea of Witten becoming a head coach immediately after that is more than a couple steps too far.