Cowboys

Cowboys Expected To Bring Back LB Sean Lee, Not TE Jason Witten

February 26, 2020

According to Calvin Watkins, there’s an expectation the Cowboys will bring back pending free-agent LB Sean Lee in 2020.

However, Watkins adds Dallas is not expected to bring back veteran TE Jason Witten for another season after he came out of retirement to play in 2019. Witten also is a pending free agent.

Lee, who’s dealt with injuries throughout his career, already said he plans to play in 2020 no matter if it’s in Dallas or elsewhere. Witten has said he would like to be back in Dallas, but might end up having to continue his career with former coach Jason Garrett in New York with the Giants.

Lee, 33, is a former second-round pick of the Cowboys back in 2010. He played out the final year of his seven-year, $42.63 million that included $16.1 million guaranteed.

Lee is now in position to test the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

In 2019, Lee appeared in all 16 games for the Cowboys and recorded 86 tackles, one sack, an interception, and four passes defended.

Witten, 37, is a former third-round pick of the Cowboys back in 2003. He was in the second year of his five-year, $29.6 million contract and set to make a base salary of $5.75 million for the 2018 season when he announced his retirement from the NFL back in May of last year.

ESPN later hired Witten as a broadcast analyst for “Monday Night Football” and the Cowboys placed him on the reserve/retired list. After one year out of football, Witten returned to the Cowboys for the 2019 season.

Witten will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

In 2019, Witten appeared in all 16 games for the Cowboys and caught 63 passes for 529 yards receiving and four touchdowns.