Jason Witten, the longtime Giants tormentor and one of the best tight ends in history, is retiring for the second time in four years, he told ESPN.
The 38-year-old spent this season with the Raiders, pulling in 13 receptions for 69 yards.
Witten said he will sign a ceremonial one-day contract to retire with the Dallas Cowboys, with whom he spent 16 of his 17 seasons.
The future Hall of Famer is Dallas’ all-time leader in receptions (1,215), yards (12,977) and games (255), having missed just one game because of a broken jaw as a rookie.
Drafted out of Tennessee in the third round of the 2003 draft, Witten ranks second in Cowboys history with 72 touchdown catches.
To Giants fans, Witten was a nightmare, always coming up with big plays seemingly every time the teams faced off. That famously included a touchdown in the final seconds that set up a game-winning extra point Week 1 of the 2015 season.
In 32 career games against New York, Witten had 165 receptions for 1,641 yards and 16 touchdowns — the most scores he had against one team.
Witten initially retired in 2017 to join ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” booth, but often stumbled on his lines and struggled in the unorthodox three-man booth alongside Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland.
He returned to the Cowboys a year later before signing with Las Vegas. Witten, who earned $81 million during his playing career, previously said he would like to coach.
“Football is a great game that has taught me many valuable lessons, and I look forward to passing on that knowledge to the next generation,” he told ESPN.
