Jason Witten’s Long NFL Career Has Made Him a Rich Man
Jason Witten has had a successful career in the NFL, spending 16 seasons with America’s Team — with one season of a less-than-stellar broadcasting career thrown in there. In his prime, he was one of the best tight ends in the league.
In the modern NFL, that equates to a lot of money to be made, and Witten has taken full advantage of it. Jerry Jones was good to Witten in his time with the Cowboys, but that tenure has come to an end as Witten left in free agency this offseason. Here’s a look at Witten’s net worth.
A storied football career
The Cowboys chose Jason Witten in the third round (No. 69 overall) of the 2003 NFL draft, and he made that look like a genius pick. He started in at least 15 games every season of his career, except his rookie year when he played in 15 but started in seven.
Witten has a total of 255 games, including 245 starts, and has caught 1,215 passes for 12,977 yards and 72 touchdowns. He has the fourth-most receptions in NFL history, and his 72 receiving touchdowns are the fourth-most among active players.
He has been named to the Pro Bowl 11 times. Despite taking a year off in 2018 to turn to broadcasting as an analyst for Monday Night Football, Witten returned to the field last season. And he’s joining a new team this fall at the age of 38, as he signed a one-year contract with the Raiders.
Jason Witten’s NFL contracts
Witten’s first contract with the Cowboys was for four years and $1.58 million, according to Spotrac, which would pale in comparison to his subsequent deals. In July 2006, he signed a new six-year contract worth $29.5 million, and just before the 2011 season began Witten and the Cowboys agreed to a five-year extension worth $37 million.
The tight end’s next extension came in March 2017, and it was a four-year, $29.6 million deal. Witten retired from the league the following April to work for ESPN, but he returned in February 2019, when he signed a $4.25 million deal with the Cowboys.
His relationship with the team officially ended on March 17 when he signed a one-year, $4 million contract to join the Raiders for their first season in Las Vegas.
What is Jason Witten’s net worth and his post-football future?
Witten’s total earnings in the NFL through last season total nearly $34 million. But, as with most star athletes, that wasn’t the extent of his earnings. According to Fox Business, Witten earned between $4 million and $4.5 million for the year that he worked in the Monday Night Football booth.
He has also done commercials for such brands as Pantene, Geico, and Miller Lite, which all adds to his net worth. WealthyPersons estimates Witten’s net worth to be about $40 million, thanks in large part to the fact that he has spent more than a decade and a half in the NFL.
At 38, he is certainly nearing the end of his career, and he may only have another year or two left if he chooses to continue playing after this season. After retirement, the best way for him to boost his net worth would be to go back into broadcasting, but after bad reviews from the season he spent in the booth in 2018 Witten may be reluctant to take that career path.
If he doesn’t want to go that route, Witten would be a good candidate to go into coaching, though that probably wouldn’t pay as much as TV work unless he eventually becomes a head coach.
