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Jerry Jones: Witten to take 'a few more days' to mull retirement

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported late Friday morning that future Hall of Fame tight end Jason Witten plans to retire after 15 seasons with the team.

The biggest wave to come from draft weekend for the Dallas Cowboys may not be any player selected inside their home stadium.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported late Friday morning that future Hall of Fame tight end Jason Witten plans to retire after 15 seasons with the team.

Mortensen says Witten will join ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast team, which lost Jon Gruden this offseason with his return to coaching.

The 11-time Pro-Bowler met with Jerry Jones Friday to discuss his future. Jones said he and Witten had "great discussions" and said no official decision had been made.

“He has some things to think about and discuss with his family from a professional perspective," Jones said. "He also told me that those things are going to require a few more days of consideration.

“We have no announcement today as it pertains to Jason’s future, other than that he’s a wonderful and valued member of our organization.”

Witten has appeared in every game since sitting out Week 5 of his rookie season. He’s the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions with 1,152 – 53 percent more than second-place Michael Irvin – and receiving yards with 12,448.

He has the second-most receptions by a tight end in NFL history and fourth-most overall.

Witten, who turns 36 in May, was named the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2012.

Last spring, Witten inked a four-year contract extension through the 2021 season.

The possibility of the Cowboys finding Witten’s potential successor has been part of the speculation swirling around the team’s draft plans. With James Hanna’s move to the reserve/retired list earlier this month, the Cowboys would be down to Geoff Swaim, Rico Gathers and Blake Jarwin at the tight end position.

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