Jason Witten is said to be deciding between a career in broadcasting and another season with the Cowboys, but it might be an easy call. ESPN is offering the tight end $4-$4.5MM to join the Monday Night Football booth, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports. 
Witten’s deal with the Cowboys, meanwhile, would pay him a base salary of $1.05MM for 2018 with up to $750K in per-game roster bonuses. However, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) notes, Witten has yet to receive his $4.7MM signing bonus, so he’s really deciding between $6.5MM from the Cowboys or $4-4.5MM from ESPN.
Still, if owner Jerry Jones is intent on keeping Witten, he may have to sweeten the deal to some extent. Meanwhile, another network has also entered the fray with what is said to be an “interesting” proposal.
The Cowboys drafted a tight end this weekend, but not necessarily one that can replace Witten. Fourth-round pick Dalton Schultz projects to take over James Hanna‘s role as a run blocker, so the Cowboys still have an obvious need for a tight end who can contribute as a receiver. Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones says the team can get by with a group that includes Geoff Swaim, Blake Jarwin, and Rico Gathers, but I would fully expect them to pursue outside options if Witten retires.
Can someone explain how this works when last season he signed a 4 year extension at 7 million a year but his 2018 base would only be a million?
The payout per year could be different. IE: Higher one year when other $$ comes off the books, lower one year when there is more on the books.
Ugh, I see 4-12.
I see 6-10
Cameron Brate would be a nice addition