Internet Bullies Jason Witten Out of Retirement

Keith Allison via Flickr

NFL

Internet Bullies Jason Witten Out of Retirement

On Thursday, February 28, Jason Witten announced that he would be rejoining the Dallas Cowboys. Now, people are wondering what brought Witten out of retirement. Why would he leave his cushy job with ESPN? Personally, I think that he saw that the Jonas Brothers were putting out new music; causing him to assume that it was 2009 and he should therefore be playing football.

(I chose Kevin’s twitter for this link because he is, by far, the most under-appreciated Jonas Brother. And yes, for some reason I am incredibly excited about this reunion.)

Okay, so the Jonas Brothers probably aren’t what’s bringing Jason Witten out of retirement. Let’s take a look at some of the factors that could be at play.

One of the first factors people have suggested is that Witten just missed playing football. This almost certainly contributed to his decision. Witten is one of the best tight ends ever. It would make sense that he missed playing the game he excelled at. Another factor being discussed is money. This also makes sense, as the Cowboys are expected to pay Witten $3.5 million. But personally, I think Witten’s true motivation lies elsewhere.

Witten’s True Motivation: The Internet

In this past season, Witten served as the color analyst on ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast. Given the success of his former teammate Tony Romo in the booth, people had high expectations for Witten. Sadly, though, Witten did not live up to those expectations. He produced plenty of cringe-worthy moments during his time in the booth. This, in turn, led to some well-deserved, inevitable internet roasting. Here are some highlights:

Ouch.

I would pay good money to see Micheal Scott in the booth, though.

I really don’t know what to say about that one.

As all football fans know, touchdowns are of little to no significance any other night.

I’ll take “Obvious Statements” for $800, Alex.

In his defense, he was technically right.

I mean, give him a break guys. It’s not like he had already seen it happen live.

I was honored to watch these last two occur live.

So close, yet so far.

For context, Cam Newton is a quarterback.

Clearly, the internet did not cut Witten any slack. Nor did he show any real signs of improvement. I believe that Witten was hurt when he saw these tweets and the many others like them. He was so hurt, in my view, that he quit announcing altogether. Not knowing where else to go, he ran back to the familiar embrace of Jerry Jones. (Or, ESPN fired him and he’s covering it up by saying he’s going back to playing.) Jones saw Witten and just assumed he could still play football without checking in any capacity, and gave him $3.5 million on sight.

So, Can Jason Witten Still Play Football?

Great question! I have no idea. Witten was showing signs of slowing down when he retired, but he was still a solid player. He is now 36 years old, though, which certainly factors into his game. However, Antonio Gates, at age 38, was still a consistent receiving threat for the Chargers last season. I don’t know exactly what level of play to expect from Witten. But, I do think 2018 Gates seems like a reasonable comparison. I don’t think Witten will be an elite player, but I think he’ll be a valuable addition to the Cowboys’ offense.

Having an experienced, consistent receiving threat at the tight end position should be beneficial to Dak Prescott. Witten’s experience and leadership should be beneficial to the locker room as well. That is, assuming that his former teammates haven’t lost respect for him because of, well, all of the examples shown above. Overall, I think Witten will be able to provide a valuable level of consistency for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys next season.

What Does This Mean for Monday Night Football?

Well, that it just became watchable again. Was that harsh? Well, it’s still true. The bigger question is who ESPN will bring in to replace Witten in the booth. It is possible that they simply bring Booger McFarland in from the Booger Mobile. I hope they look for an outside hire, though. Below are some predictions for who that outside hire could be:

Personally, I think Peyton Manning would be an incredible choice. He has a great football mind, is a legend of the game, and previously worked with ESPN on their “Detail” series. The other options listed are also strong choices, though Tim Tebow seems like a bit of a wild card. At the end of the day, though, I will be disappointed with anyone besides Peyton Manning. Unless ESPN decides to let Bill Walton take his talents to the football booth.

Photo Credit

Featured image courtesy of Keith Allison via Flickr

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