Jason Witten

BIOGRAPHY

Jason Witten was born on May 6, 1982, in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is a tight end for the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL.

In his early years, Witten attended Elizabethton High School where he became a three-year starter playing both linebacker and tight end while helping his team reach the state semi-finals three times. As a senior linebacker, he finished the season with 163 tackles, nine sacks, two interceptions, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and two blocked kicks. He received several accolades such as the All-American, All-State, USA Today Player of the Year for Tennessee, East Tennessee Player of the Year, Region Defensive Player of the Year and runner-up for the Mr. Football award. He had 26 receptions and 14 touchdowns on offense and he also played basketball, where he averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds per game.

After he finished high school, Witten committed to the University of Tennessee where he began his first year playing special teams and also saw time as a second-string defensive end. He also started in his first 2 games and recorded one reception on the season, which went for 11 yards in a 70–3 victory over Louisiana-Monroe. As a sophomore, Witten started three games, catching 28 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns. He scored his first collegiate touchdown in a 35–24 victory over Alabama and as a junior, he had a breakout year, setting school records for a tight end in receptions with 39 and receiving yards with 493 with five touchdowns, including one of the most memorable receptions in school history, a game-winning touchdown in the sixth overtime against the University of Arkansas. He received All-SEC and Academic All-SEC honors after leading the conference's tight ends in receptions and receiving yards. 

After his junior season, Witten entered the 2003 NFL Draft where he was selected in the third round by the Dallas Cowboys. On September 7, he made his NFL debut against the Atlanta Falcons, where he had one reception for 13 yards and was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team for the 2003 season. He finished his rookie year with 35 receptions for 347 yards and a touchdown. In the 2004 season, Witten led the NFC with 87 catches, which was also the 11th most in NFL history by a tight end and a Cowboys team record for the position. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl, becoming a part of the Cowboys franchise's legacy of great tight ends. In the 2005 season, Witten finished sixth in the NFL among tight ends with 66 receptions and became the first Cowboys tight end to have at least 65 receptions in consecutive seasons. He had 757 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions in 2005 and was named to his second Pro Bowl. At the end of the 2006 season, Witten became just the tenth tight end in NFL history to post three consecutive seasons with at least 60 receptions. He registered 64 receptions for 754 yards and one touchdown while being named to his third Pro Bowl. On July 22, Witten signed a six-year contract extension. In 2007, Witten broke his own single-season Cowboys tight end record for receptions with 96 and becoming the first franchise tight end to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season. He became the third tight end in NFL history with 96 or more catches. On December 9 against the Detroit Lions, Witten's 15 receptions tied an NFL record held by Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow Sr. for most receptions in a game by a tight end in NFL history. Witten became the first Dallas tight end ever to gain over 1,000 receiving yards in a season and was also one of the NFL-record 13 Cowboys players selected to the Pro Bowl. He was named as a First-Team All-Pro for the 2007 season and was nominated for the 2007 Walter Peyton NFL Man of the Year Award. 

In 2008, Witten made his 400th NFL reception in the Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game against the Seattle Seahawks on November 27, and on December 28, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he completed a 42-yard pass for the first pass of his NFL career. He posted 81 receptions, which ranked 13th in the NFL for 2008, 952 yards, 4 touchdowns, and was named a starter for the 2008 Pro Bowl. In 2009, he had another Pro Bowl season, making 94 receptions for 1,030 yards and two touchdowns and was also given the NFL Iron Man Award. In Week 15 of the 2010 season, Witten became the fastest tight end to make 600 receptions and he received his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl selection when he was named as the starting tight end for the NFC. At the end of the season, Witten was named tight end of the Year by the NFL Alumni Association and finished the 2010 season with 94 receptions for 1,002 yards and nine touchdowns. He was named as a First-Team All-Pro for the second time in his career and was ranked No. 36 by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011. On November 13, 2011, Witten surpassed Ozzie Newsome to become the tight end with the third-most receptions in NFL history with 663 and finished the season with 79 receptions for 942 receiving yards and five touchdowns playing in all 16 games. He was also ranked No. 75 by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012. 

During Week 2 of the 2012 season against the Seattle Seahawks, Witten caught four passes for 58 yards and finished the game with 702 career receptions to become just the second player in franchise history to reach 700+ catches and the third tight end in NFL history to do so. He became the fastest tight end to reach 700 catches, reaching the milestone in 145 games, and he also became the youngest wide receiver/tight end to reach 700+ catches with 30 years, 133 days. On December 26, Witten was selected to his eighth Pro Bowl and for the second time in his career, Witten was nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, this time winning the award and the $25,000 donation to his charity. He finished the 2012 season with 110 receptions for 1,039 yards and three touchdowns and he was ranked No. 41 among his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013. On September 15, Witten surpassed Shannon Sharpe with the second most receptions as a tight end in NFL history. His three catches during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs brought his career total to 817. He finished the 2013 season with 73 receptions for 851 yards and eight touchdowns, was named to the Pro Bowl for the ninth time in his career, and was ranked 98th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014. In the 2014 season, Witten became only the third tight end with 10,000 career receiving yards, joining Shannon Sharpe and Tony Gonzales, in Week 5 against the Houston Texans. He became the all-time leader for consecutive starts by a tight end after he started against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6, and in that same game, he also became the second tight end in NFL history to reach 900 receptions. He finished with 60 receptions for 654 yards and five touchdowns. He was named to his tenth career Pro Bowl for his 2014 season and was ranked 93rd by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015. 

On November 22, 2015, against the Miami Dolphins, he became the franchise's iron man, playing his 196th consecutive game and surpassing Bob Lilly and two weeks later he became the 12th player and second tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 receptions. He led the Cowboys with 77 receptions for 713 yards and three touchdowns. In Week 8 of the 2016 season, Witten caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime against the Philadelphia Eagles, making him the first player in franchise history to score in 14 seasons. He finished the season 16 receiving yards shy of Michael Irvin's all-time franchise record and finished the 2016 regular season with 69 receptions for 673 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He caught his first career post-season touchdown from Dak Prescott in the CowboysDivisional Round Game against the Green Bay Packers. On March 28, 2017, Witten signed a four-year contract extension with the Cowboys through the 2021 season. In Week 1, Witten scored a touchdown, and passed Michael Irvin for most career receiving yards in franchise history and also became the third player in NFL history to have at least 150 catches against one team, joining Jerry Rice and Larry Fitzgerald. He finished the season with 63 receptions for 560 yards and five touchdowns, on his way to his 11th Pro Bowl, which tied a Cowboys record with Bob Lilly. 

On April 26, 2018, Witten officially announced his retirement but on February 28, 2019, ESPN announced that Witten will return to the Cowboys on a one-year contract.