The Facts: Witten, who will be an unrestricted free agent next month, said as the season closed that he expected his decision to come quickly. But he confirmed that one element of that decision has been firmly made in his mind. "Coaching is in the future, but right now I want to play while I can," Witten said. "We'll see where that takes place." The 16-year veteran also essentially told the media that whether he remains in Dallas is up to Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys. "Of course I want that to be with the Dallas Cowboys. I'll always be a Dallas Cowboy."

Diehards Line: But Witten also seems to understand that his place on the team is not the only decision that the new coach and front office are faced with this off-season. "It's taken a little longer that I had hoped for, but obviously with so many changes inside the building [we're] trying to work through that." Witten reiterated that he met with McCarthy shortly after the coach was hired. He has not spoken to him since McCarthy put together his coaching staff, but he has been in "constant communication" with Jerry and Stephen Jones. "It's our hope to have those talks soon after the Combine ends, before free agency." When asked if he is open to signing with another team, Witten said he felt he "had to be" considering he was determined to continue playing, but that he hasn't actually evaluated the rosters of other teams. Witten seems to believe that decision will be made in the next three to four weeks, but he made one thing pretty clear Tuesday evening: If Jason Witten isn't a Dallas Cowboy in 2020, it will be because the Dallas Cowboys don't want him to be.