Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Is Jason Witten asking the same questions as Tom Brady?

FRISCO, Texas -- When the Dallas Cowboys' season ended at Philadelphia in December, Jason Witten said without qualification he would be returning for a 16th season in 2018.

He did not say it so he would have more years of service with the Cowboys than any other player in team history. He did not say it because he wanted to add more catches, yards and touchdowns to his resume.

He said it because he wants a chance to win a Super Bowl and believes he can still play at a high level. Considering he was a first alternate in the Pro Bowl voting shows that his peers, opposing coaches and personnel people believe he is still a top tight end as well.

But minds can change over time.

On Sunday, the Sporting News reported Fox was interested in Witten to work its Thursday Night Football games as an analyst. Tony Romo had great success in the booth for CBS in 2017. Troy Aikman is Fox’s No. 1 analyst. Ex-Cowboys including Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders, Daryl Johnston and Darren Woodson litter the national airwaves.

Witten would seem to be a natural in explaining the complicated moments in an easy manner. Away from the cameras he has taken the time to explain the game simply to reporters who know nothing (hand raised). Romo would do the same thing during his playing career.

Nothing can replicate the juice a player gets from actually playing. They want to play forever and Witten might be the exception to this rule. But he knows he is in the final stage of his career, be it 2018 or 2019 or when his contract expires in 2021.

Since 2003, Witten has made more than $70 million with the Cowboys, so it’s not as if he would play for the cash either. Fox won’t be close to match the $6.5 million he is set to make this year, but he could see television as a path to a long-term career where the money is comparable.

No player enjoys the process of getting ready for a season more than Witten. It never really escapes him. Well before the official offseason program begins, Witten will likely be at The Star working out if this dalliance with Fox does not go too far.

In the final episode of Facebook’s Tom vs. Time, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady spoke about his future. It wasn’t in specific terms but it was about his young family.

“There’s more to think about than just me,” Brady said. “And I think that’s what you commit to when you have a family and they commit a lot to me. Obviously, it goes both ways.”

Witten is the father of four young children: two boys and two girls. He coaches his boys in basketball and football when he can. He takes his kids to school.

At some point every athlete faces the point when it’s time to walk away.

“It’s a big commitment sitting here, laying here three days after the year getting my Achilles worked on and my thumb and you go, ‘What are we doing this for?’ You know?” Brady said. “What are we doing this for? Who are we doing this for? Why are we doing this? You’ve got to have answers to those questions and they have to be with a lot of conviction. You know when you lose your conviction then you probably should be doing something else.”

In December, Witten had the conviction to say he was coming back. Since the Sporting News story, nothing has appeared to have changed his mind but could it be enough for him to say it’s over?

The Cowboys have tight end near the top of the need list already, but if Witten were to retire there would be no bigger hole to fill.

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