Cowboys News: Jerry Jones Says Jason Witten Hasn't Finalized Retirement Decision

When ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported on Friday that Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten planned on retiring in order to join the Monday Night Football booth, it caught many by surprise—perhaps the team included.

However, a final decision has not been made.

Per the Dallas Morning News' Brandon George, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones revealed on Friday that he has spoken to Witten about the matter and noted that his longtime star will continue to mull over his options.

"I've talked to Jason Witten several times this week, met with him a few hours ago and we've had great discussions," Jones said. "He has some things to think about and discuss with his family and he'll need a few more days of consideration. No final decision made on retirement."

Jones added that he would not further comment on the situation out of respect for Witten.

Witten and Jones have a relationship that dates back more than a decade when Dallas took the Tennessee product in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft. Since then, the tight end has never worn anything but the iconic star on his helmet.

In his 15-year career, Witten has hauled in 1,152 catches—the second-most by a tight end in NFL history—for 12,448 yards and 68 touchdowns. He has earned 11 Pro Bowl nods and been named first-team All-Pro twice.

He had 63 catches for 560 yards and five scores in 2017.

Witten has seen a steady decline in production the past few seasons. Now 35 years old, he has faced questions about how much longer he would play football.

It was just last November that Witten's name (along with a handful of others) was linked to the head-coaching vacancy at his alma mater. However, he noted at the time, via ESPN.com's Todd Archer, he was committed to the Cowboys:

"Coaching is something I can see myself down the road, having one of those opportunities, but right now I'm all in with this team and my feet are planted firmly here and this opportunity that I have in 2017 and getting it right this week. And not only that, but I really love this team we have and what we're trying to build and get it right, right now and for beyond, for the future.

"So I feel too good to think that I'd consider something like that at this point."

Witten signed a four-year extension in March 2017, a move that lowered his cap hit for last season. 

While Jones probably hopes that his veteran captain returns in 2018, he has to feel fortunate enough to be made aware before the draft ended that Witten's retirement is a possibility. That gives the team an opportunity to potentially address the position over the final two days of the draft in his stadium.