Retired Raiders tight end Jason Witten has new job

Former Raiders tight end Jason Witten is headed back to Dallas.

The likely future Hall of Famer has accepted the head coaching position at Liberty Christian in Argyle, Texas, the high school announced on social media Monday.

Witten announced his retirement from the NFL last month after one season with the Raiders. He spent the first 16 seasons of his career in Dallas with the Cowboys and finished his career with 1,228 receptions, fourth-most in NFL history.

Raiders’ coach Jon Gruden said earlier this season he believed Witten would make a great coach some day should that be the path he pursued after his playing days were over.

“I think he’d be a stellar coach,” Gruden said. “I think he’d be a Tom Landry, a Bill Cowher. I think he’s got very good football intellect. He’s got great motivational skills. He’s an excellent communicator and he loves the game.”

Witten was briefly linked in media reports to the head coaching job at Tennessee, his alma mater. There was also speculation he could join the coaching staff with either the Raiders or Cowboys.

Instead, the 38-year-old former Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year will take over a high school program that went 2-7 last season and 5-15 the last two years.

He is expected to inherit at least one star player in the program.

Highly touted safety prospect Cristian Driver, the son of former NFL receiver Donald Driver, will be a senior at the school next season.

Witten joins the ranks of former NFL players now serving as high school football coaches that include Mark Brunell, Mike Alstott, Robert Edwards, Jeff Saturday, Henry Ellard, Trent Dilfer and Philip Rivers, who also retired after the 2020 season.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.