Witten ranks second in all-time career receptions and receiving yards by an NFL tight end, trailing only Tony Gonzalez.

[6] His grandfather, Dave Rider, was the coach of the football team where Witten was a two-way player, playing linebacker and tight end.

[7] Witten became a three-year starter playing both linebacker and tight end, while helping his team reach the state semi-finals three times.

[9] In 2000, Witten accepted a scholarship to the University of Tennessee, with the promise from head coach Phillip Fulmer that he would be played at defensive end.

The Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award honors a player who shows strong leadership qualities on and off the field.

[26] Although the Cowboys had a first-round grade on Witten, when their turn came in the first and second rounds, they selected cornerback Terrence Newman and Al Johnson based on team needs.

[27] Undrafted free agent Tony Romo was another rookie who also arrived in Dallas in 2003 and would go on to become Witten's teammate throughout their careers, as well as his roommate during future team training camps and travel games.

[29] Witten suffered a fractured jaw against the Arizona Cardinals, after being hit by Ronald McKinnon and Ray Thompson, which required surgery to have three plates inserted to help the healing.

[57] Witten made his 400th NFL reception in the Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day game against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13 as part of a nine-reception, 115-yard, one-touchdown performance.

[80] Witten started the 2011 season with consecutive 100-yard receiving games in a loss to the New York Jets and a victory over San Francisco 49ers.

[81][82] On November 13, in Week 10 against the Buffalo Bills, Witten surpassed Ozzie Newsome to become the tight end with the third most receptions in NFL history with 663.

[87] On September 5, Witten battled back and was able to play in the season opener, catching two passes for 10 yards in a 24–17 victory over the New York Giants.

This record was later broken in Week 3 by Cardinals' wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald who totaled 707 career catches with 29 years, 23 days.

[citation needed] After Week 3, Witten passed Ozzie Newsome for third place all-time in receiving yards among tight ends.

[102] In Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Witten surpassed Shannon Sharpe with the second most receptions as a tight end in NFL history.

[110] In a Week 5 game against the Houston Texans on October 5, Witten became only the third tight end with 10,000 career receiving yards, joining Shannon Sharpe and Tony Gonzalez.

[116][117] That season, the Cowboys emphasized the running game and although his receiving production declined, his blocking was noticed while helping DeMarco Murray lead the NFL in rushing.

[123] In Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Witten suffered a right knee injury and two sprained ankles but was able to only miss a play and a half.

[124] On November 22, against the Miami Dolphins he became the franchise's iron man, playing his 196th consecutive game and surpassing Bob Lilly.

[125] Two weeks later, in a Monday Night Football game against the Washington Redskins, Witten became the 12th player and second tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 receptions.

[126] On December 27, in Week 16 against the Buffalo Bills, he set the Cowboys record with his 118th consecutive game with a reception, passing Michael Irvin.

[127] During the 2015 season, Witten was asked to be more involved in the blocking than usual, because of the team playing with four different starting quarterbacks with varying degrees of knowledge of the offense.

[129] Against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8, Witten caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime, making him the first player in franchise history to score in 14 seasons.

[133] He caught his first career post-season touchdown from Dak Prescott in the Cowboys' 34–31 Divisional Round loss to the Green Bay Packers.

[136] During a Week 1 19–3 victory against the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football, Witten recorded the Cowboys' lone touchdown.

[140] He started all 16 games and finished the season with 63 receptions for 560 yards and five touchdowns, on his way to his 11th Pro Bowl, which tied a Cowboys record with Bob Lilly.

[141][142][143] On April 26, 2018, reports surfaced that Witten was going to retire and accept a position as the lead analyst for ESPN's Monday Night Football telecasts.

[144] On February 28, 2019, ESPN announced that Witten would return to the Cowboys on a one-year, $4.5 million deal, and leave his Monday Night Football position at the company.

[145] In his return to the gridiron, Witten had three receptions for 15 yards and a receiving touchdown in the 35–17 victory over the New York Giants in the Cowboys' 2019 regular season opener.

[167] Witten wrote an opinion piece for ESPN, titled "How Twitter has become NFL locker room poison" in which he detailed the potential negative impact social media can have, particularly on younger players, from his personal experiences.