Happy trails, 82.
After a week of speculation, Jason Witten has officially made the decision to retire from professional football, WFAA has confirmed.
He’ll take a Monday Night Football color analyst job that will reportedly pay him upwards of $4 million per year. MNF is reworking its broadcast presentation after Jon Gruden, who had been in the booth since 2009 but returned to coaching this offseason.
ESPN public relations rep Bill Hofheimer posted a statement from ESPN Executive Vice President Connor Schell about the hiring Thursday afternoon:
The surefire first-ballot Hall-of-Famer finishes his career as the Cowboys’ all-time leader in receptions (1,152) and receiving yards (12,448). His reception total is 53 percent higher than Michael Irvin’s 753, which rank second in franchise history.
Witten, who turns 36 on Sunday, leaves on a streak of 235 consecutive games played – every single contest since week 6 of his rookie campaign in 2003.
He’s an 11-time Pro-Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro and was the 2012 recipient of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, given to a single player each year who makes a positive impact on his community.
This story will be updated.