Getty Ex-Raiders TE Jason Witten.
It appears that Jason Witten won’t be staying unemployed very long. The former Las Vegas Raiders tight end recently announced his retirement from the NFL but it was speculated that he could become a coach. The NFL or college ranks seemed like the most likely landing spot for the future Hall of Famer but that won’t be the case.
Witten will be coaching the Liberty Christian High School football team this year in Argyle, Texas.
Liberty Christian School is excited to announce our new Head Football Coach Jason Witten. Jason, former Dallas Cowboy tight end and long-time Liberty parent will be joining the Liberty Christian coaching staff as Head Football Coach. It’s a great day to be a Warrior!
It makes sense for Witten to head back to Texas as he spent the vast majority of his NFL career in Dallas.
“Faith. Family. Football,” Witten said in a statement, per The Cross Timbers Gazette. “In this next chapter, it is important to me to be the best father and husband I can be, while making a positive impact in the community and share the wisdom I’ve accumulated over the years to positively impact the next generation.”
Witten getting his coaching start in the high school ranks is a smart move. It’ll give him plenty of time to develop his skills while not having to go through the stresses of being an NFL coach.
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Witten Probably Could’ve Gotten Job on Raiders Staff
Though Witten is going to coach a high school team, it’s very likely that he could’ve gotten a job in the college or professional ranks. In fact, the Raiders lost their tight ends coach Frank Smith to the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason. They probably would’ve loved to have Witten take that job over.
Jon Gruden has praised the former tight end on a number of occasions and even compared him to Tom Landry. Gruden clearly thinks that Witten has a bright future in coaching. He’s about to dip his toes into the profession and time will tell if he likes it.
Raiders Announce the Hiring of 4 Position Coaches
The Raiders defensive coaching staff is in the midst of a major overhaul. With the hiring of Gus Bradley as defensive coordinator, he’s decided to bring in several of his former assistants. It was previously reported that the team was hiring Ron Milus as defensive backs coach and Richard Smith as linebackers coach, but they’ve finally made it official.
They also announced the hirings of Addison Lynch as assistant defensive backs coach and Ryan Milus as a defensive quality control coach. All four of these men served under Bradley in Los Angeles. The Raiders are clearly taking on a lot of former Chargers coaches. The AFC West rival has put together some strong defenses over the past several years so fans should be hopeful about the staff Bradley is putting together.
The Raiders’ defense should look quite different from 2020, which will be a good thing. They’ve essentially purged Paul Guenther‘s influence and have given the keys to Bradley. Hopefully, it was the right call. The Raiders are a good defense away from being a playoff team.
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