Cowboys tight end Jason Witten has seen it all. Yet seeing it all again after one year in the "Monday Night Football" booth comes with a new outlook heading into a 16th NFL season.
That's why Witten understands the implications for Dallas when talking about Ezekiel Elliott's holdout and the contract situations involving quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper. Witten, who was in Dallas on Monday as part of a promotion with Dick's Sporting Goods' new clothing line, talked about the difference between viewing those storylines from the booth and in the locker room.
2019 NFL PREDICTIONS:
Why Cowboys are SN's Super Bowl pick
Watch every NFL preseason and regular season game and RedZone on DAZN (start your free trial)
"Your perspective does change," Witten told Sporting News. "What changes is so much of the outside noise and conversation, although true and fair in both critiquing and admiring it when you see success and adversity hit in sports, a lot of that doesn't really exist inside of a football team.
"Is it real? Yeah. Does it affect the team in some capacity? Sure. But not on the level you see when you are in the booth or when you're going week to week kind of following the storylines. Playing 15 years in Dallas where the lights are bright, you realize there is a lot of talk that's going on, and it's fair."
Witten is resuming his 15-year playing career this season after a one-year stint as an analyst on "MNF." He is fourth all time and second among active players with 1,152 career receptions.
Witten's return coincides with the big headlines in Big D. Elliott is in the middle of a holdout that has stretched through training camp, and rumors of the asking price of contract extensions for Prescott and Cooper have been part of the day-to-day headlines for the team SN picked to win Super Bowl 54. Elliott obviously is a huge piece of a potential deep postseason run.
Jason Witten provided a shopping spree for 14 Dallas-area teens on Monday. (Photo courtesy of Dick's Sporting Goods).
"Zeke is a huge part of this offense, and we understand what's going on," Witten said. "You just have to manage that. You have to be honest, and you have to be open about that. You can't let it affect or be a distraction to the football team. I think we've done a pretty good job of that so far."
Witten believes Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who joked "Zeke who?" after rookie RB Tony Pollard's impressive preseason game Saturday, will be able to work out a deal with Elliott, who led the NFL in rushing in two of the last three seasons.
This is one of those instances where Witten has a different take than those in the headlines.
"What allows you to stay focused and not get caught up in it is having an owner come out and address it and say, 'Look, we've been here before. We've dealt with this,'" Witten said. "Both sides can unemotionally look at this and know we can get something done. It allows you as a player to kind of know that it's just a matter of time before something gets worked out."
MORE: Zeke falls victim to preseason overreaction
Witten said the same about Prescott and Cooper, whose current contracts are set to expire after the 2019 season.
"For Dak and Amari, who are going through the same situation, I think they've done a good job of keeping the focus there," Witten said. "It's the same with Ezekiel in hoping that gets resolved and that he can get back in there and get back to work. We know what type of football player he is and what he means to this football team."
Witten believes Dallas can make a run to the Super Bowl with all the right pieces in place. That was a motivating factor in his returning for another NFL season, but he said he has no regrets about his opportunity to call "Monday Night Football." He just saw a better one in Dallas for 2019.
"The opportunity to still play and feel like I could still do it at a high level," Witten said. "I wanted another opportunity to be a part of a team and see if we could go win one."
MORE: Predicting contracts for Dak, Zeke, Amari
Witten, who won the 2012 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, provided a shopping spree for 14 Dallas student-athletes at Dick's Sporting Goods on Monday. Witten is involved with the DSG line sold at the store, and one percent of those sales go to the Sports Matter program.
"I remember being a kid and there was a lot of adversity and challenges, and sports provided me to chance to chase my dream," Witten said. "To play as long as I have and get the opportunity to partner up with DSG and provide for these kids that cannot afford it; it's a no-brainer here."
