Photo Gallery: Celebrating 82 on 8/2!

Destined to be a Cowboy, Witten was wearing the blue and silver even as a toddler.

Need more proof he would wind up wearing the Star? Jason (far left) and his brothers once posed for a picture with the great Tom Landry.

Witten starred as both a linebacker and tight end at Elizabethton High School, earning All-American and All-State honors as well as USA Today's Player of the Year for Tennessee in his senior season.

Witten's early days weren't all about football, though. He would eventually marry his high school sweetheart, Michelle.

Witten signed a letter of intent to play collegiate football for the home-state Tennessee Volunteers, who promised him that he would play ... defensive end.

Moved to tight end midway through his freshman year at Tennessee, Witten would go on to finish third all-time among tight ends in Volunteers history in catches and fourth in receiving yards. Today, the Jason Witten Collegiate Award honors a player who shows strong leadership qualities both on and off the field.

Witten entered the NFL Draft after his junior year at Tennessee and got the call from the Cowboys in the third round, selected with the 68th overall pick.

Witten signed his contract with the Cowboys when he was only 20 years old, one of the youngest players int the NFL at the time.

Before he was No. 82, Witten was given No. 49 when he arrived for his first Cowboys training camp.

Now officially No. 82, Witten made his NFL debut on Sept. 7, 2003 against the Falcons. He finished with one catch for 13 yards.

In his fourth career game, which came against the Cardinals on Oct. 5, 2003, Witten suffered a broken jaw. He missed only one game and went on to be named to the 2003 NFL All-Rookie Team. Over his 16 seasons with the Cowboys, Witten only missed two games total.

In his second season with the Cowboys, Witten set a franchise record for catches by a tight end, his 87 also leading the NFC. For his effort, he was invited to his first Pro Bowl.

In 2005, Witten became the first Cowboys tight end two record at least 65 catches in a season.

Witten earned his third straight Pro Bowl in 2006 after becoming just the 10th tight end in NFL history to post three consecutive seasons with at least 60 catches.

Highlighted by his 53-yard catch at the Eagles on Nov. 4, 2007, a play that saw him rumbling downfield without a helmet, Witten became the first tight end in Cowboys history to top 1,000 receiving yards. Helping Dallas to a 13-3 record, he was named first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career.

On Thanksgiving Day 2008 against Seattle, Witten recorded his 400th catch. He would go on to finish 13th in the NFL with 81 receptions that season.

It was another Pro Bowl effort in 2009 as Witten totaled 94 catches for 1,030 yards.

On Dec. 19, 2010 against Washington, Witten totaled 10 catches for 140 receiving yards and one touchdown. In doing so, he became only the fourth tight end in NFL history and the fastest ever to reach the 600-catch mark. Witten was named first-team All-Pro for the second time in his career.

Against the Bills on Nov. 13, 2011, Witten surpassed Ozzie Newsome to move into third place all-time in NFL history for catches by a tight end.

At the end of the 2012 season, Witten won the league's most prestigious honor, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, which is given to a player for his excellence both on the field and off.

At Kansas City on Sept. 15, 2013, Witten passed Shannon Sharpe to move into second place all-time among NFL tight ends for career catches. He eventually earned his ninth Pro Bowl invite.

Along with Dez Bryant, Tony Romo and DeMarco Murray, Witten helped the Cowboys to a 12-4 record and the 2014 NFC East title. In the controversial No-Catch divisional-round playoff loss at the Packers, Witten led the team with six catches for 71 receiving yards.

In a Monday Night Football game at Washington on Dec. 7, 2015, Witten became the 12th player overall and only the second tight end in NFL history to surpass 1,000 catches.

Witten topped 600 receiving yards for the 13th straight season and then recorded his first career touchdown catch in the playoffs, doing so against the Packers in the 2016 divisional round.

On Sept. 10 in the 2017 season opener against the Giants, Witten passed Michael Irvin as the franchise leader for career receiving yards. He would eventually finish with 12,977 receiving yards during his 16 seasons with the Cowboys. Witten also earned his 11th and final Pro Bowl nod, which is tied with Hall of Famer Bob Lilly for the most in franchise history.

Following the 2017 season, Witten made the decision to move into the television booth for ESPN's weekly Monday Night Football broadcast.

Following his one season away from the team, Witten rejoined Dallas in 2019 and started all 16 games, finishing third on the Cowboys in catches and touchdown grabs as well as fourth in receiving yards. After a season with the Raiders in 2020, Witten officially retired in 2021.

Witten was active in the community throughout his career with the Cowboys, having launched numerous outreach programs through his SCORE Foundation. Seven times he was also voted by fans as the team's Bob Lilly Award winner, which is given to a Cowboys player for his sportsmanship, dedication, leadership and achievement.

Mario Williams-Houston Texans gets a bird's eye view from the pilots seat of a C-17 while Jason Witten-Dallas Cowboys talks shop with Captain Paul Tucker. The NFL players are traveling on their first USO tour and are joined by fellow NFL All Stars Vernon Davis-San Francisco 49ers and Joe Thomas- Cleveland Browns, March 3, 2010. Traveling to nine bases in eight days the players will visit with troops, sign autographs and extend their thanks. USO Photo by Dave Gatley