The Las Vegas Raiders signed veteran tight end and former Dallas Cowboys great Jason Witten to a one-year deal heading into 2020, his 17th season in the NFL. Witten was not meant to be a major factor in the receiving game, but he was brought in to provide some blocking help as well as veteran leadership for a younger receiving core.
In 16 games with the team, Witten caught 13 passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns, all of which were career-lows with the exception of touchdowns. Part of this was due to his age, but also because he played behind one of the best tight ends in all of football in Darren Waller.
With his contract set to expire in March, Witten reportedly will not re-sign with the Raiders or any team, as he plan to retire from the NFL for a second time by signing a one-day deal with the Cowboys, according to Todd Archer of ESPN:
Jason Witten has told ESPN he is retiring from the NFL after a 17-year career. He intends to sign one-day contract and retire as a member of the Dallas Cowboys in March when his contract with the Las Vegas Raiders expires in March. He finishes his career with 1,228 catches, 13,046 yards, 74 touchdowns and 271 games played, which are the most in NFL history by a tight end.
While nearly all of his stats were compiled as a member of the Cowboys, Witten will still go down as one of the greatest tight ends to ever play. The Raiders were lucky enough to be the only team he suited up for outside of Dallas.
Due to Waller holding down the position for the foreseeable future, it’s unlikely the Raiders will do anything of significance to replace Witten. Foster Moreau is the only other tight end that has a contract with the team in 2021 besides Waller, and he’ll make a serviceable backup as well as a key red zone threat.
Raiders sign Doss to reserve/future contract
As the offseason gets underway for 30 of the 32 NFL teams, the Raiders are doing what they can to make improvements for next season. One decision they have already made is to sign familiar face in wide receiver Keelan Doss to a reserve/future contract.
Doss, who has been with the Raiders before, may have a chance to compete for a roster spot in the fall given the uncertainty currently surrounding the wide receiver position.
