Witten made the decision to retire from the NFL in 2017 after having spent 15 years playing for the Cowboys and spent last season as a lead analyst on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
However, the legendary tight end still felt he had unfinished business on the field and has been rewarded with a one-year deal with the Cowboys for the 2019/20 season.
Witten made the decision back in February and has already spent several months beginning his conditioning for Dallas’ upcoming summer training camp, however, he is under no illusions of what is required.
“I’ve still got to build toward it,” Witten said.
“Yeah, it’s been a good offseason for me and making that decision at the end of February, early March – that helps me, because I’ve had a whole offseason.
“But I’ve still got a lot of work to do, clean up and knock some of that rust off.”
Witten’s return will mark his 16th season in the NFL and next season he will set a franchise record, which he currently shares with Mark Tuinei and Ed ‘Too Tall’ Jones.
The 11-time Pro Bowler hopes his return can help the team win the Super Bowl.
Witten will be joining a team who finished the regular season on 10-6, then went on to win their Wild Card game in the playoffs before losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC’s Divisional Round.
With a break from the game Witten understands that off-season workouts and non-contact practices is not a substitute for the real thing.
Witten admitted he is going to approach this next month as he did when he was a rookie in an attempt to put himself in the best condition.
“These next five, six weeks will be really important for me for what I want to accomplish and what I can bring,” he said.
“So I know it’s still building for me, and I’ll approach it much like I did when I was younger in my training and how I go about it.”
So far over the course of his career Witten has played 239 games, in which he has racked up 1,152 receiving yards and 68 touchdowns.
But despite his numerous years in the league Witten cannot wait to get back out on the field.
“I love all that it entails,” he said.
“From the preparation individually, the grind of going through it, spending time with those guys, day and night – from meetings to the rookie jokes that happen.
“And then on the field, just seeing that product start to come together and see the team come together. There’s nothing like it, in my opinion.”