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Witten signs 1-year deal to return to Cowboys

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Jones: Jason Witten is our John Wayne (1:47)

Jerry Jones outlines the importance of having Jason Witten on the Cowboys this year and what his future will be when he is done playing. (1:47)

FRISCO, Texas -- Jason Witten's return to the Dallas Cowboys is complete, with the veteran tight end signing his one-year contract.

Witten, who can earn up to $5 million on the deal, came out of retirement last week to rejoin the Cowboys after spending the 2018 season as a Monday Night Football analyst. The tight end has a base salary of $2 million.

In a statement announcing his return, Witten said, "The fire inside of me to compete and play this game is just burning too strong. This team has a great group of rising young stars, and I want to help them make a run at a championship. This was completely my decision, and I am very comfortable with it. I'm looking forward to getting back in the dirt."

Witten has been working out at The Star this week with teammates with the official start of the offseason program not coming until mid-April.

Before the signing became official, the Cowboys released Witten on Monday from the reserve/retired list in a procedural move.