DALLAS — Rob Gronkowski endorsed Jason Witten for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in an interview published Friday by NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth‘s Logan Reardon and Charles Nichelson.
Witten played 16 of his 17 NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He made it all the way to the finalist round in his first year on the ballot last winter, but he was not elected. Gronkowski joins the ballot for the first time this year after last playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. He made the comments to NBC 5 while promoting T-Mobile’s Friday Night 5G Lights program.
Gronkowski said Witten’s consistency put him among the best football players of any position, not only among tight ends.
“[Witten] is a phenomenal player; he was such a consistent player,” Gronkowski said. “That’s what makes a great football player great. It’s not just making a play every so often; it’s making a play every single time you need to make a play and be consistent out on the football field. And he was one of the most consistent tight ends. And not just a tight end, he’s one of the most consistent football players of all time, and he’s definitely deserving.”
Witten holds the Cowboys’ career records for receptions (1,215) and receiving yards (12,977). His 72 receiving touchdowns rank second in franchise history. He played 255 games for Dallas, the most by any player in team history, and his 11 Pro Bowl selections are tied for the most by a Cowboy.
Jason Witten’s First Trip Through The Ballot
Selected 69th overall in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft, Witten finished his career with 1,228 receptions, 13,046 receiving yards and 74 touchdowns. He played his final season in 2020 with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Witten reached 60 receptions in 15 of his 17 seasons and appeared in 271 of a possible 272 regular-season games during his career. He was a two-time first-team All-Pro and was named Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2012.
Witten had to survive several cuts to get to the final vote last year. The Hall started with 128 modern-era nominees before trimming the field to 52 and later 26 semifinalists. From there, 15 players made the finalist group, including Witten.
The selectors narrowed those 15 finalists to 10 and then seven at the annual meeting. A candidate needed support from at least 80% of the voters to make the Hall. Witten, one of four players to reach the finals in his first year of eligibility, did not get enough support to make the Class of 2026.
Five candidates were elected and enshrined Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio. Darren Woodson, the Cowboys’ career tackles leader, also missed out after reaching the finalist stage for the fourth consecutive year.
Bill Belichick And The 2027 Class
Bill Belichick was the coach finalist for the Class of 2026 and was not elected. Coach candidates are voted on separately from the modern-era players, and the Hall’s bylaws call for four to eight inductees in each class.
Gronkowski said Belichick was snubbed in the vote for the Class of 2026.
“I don’t have a vote, I don’t have a say, but there’s gonna be no doubt that coach Belichick shall be in the Hall of Fame last year,” Gronkowski explained. “He definitely got snubbed last year; he should’ve been in as a first ballot. For whatever reason he wasn’t, but 100% needs to go in this year coming up.”
The list of players eligible for the first time in 2027 also includes Adrian Peterson and Ben Roethlisberger. Willie Anderson, Terrell Suggs and Marshal Yanda already have spots in the finalist round after finishing among the final seven in the 2026 vote.
Gronkowski played 11 seasons, nine with the New England Patriots and two with Tampa Bay. He retired with 621 receptions, 9,286 receiving yards and 92 touchdowns. Gronkowski won four Super Bowls and was a four-time first-team All-Pro. In 2011, he caught 17 touchdown passes, a single-season record for a tight end.
What Comes Next For Jason Witten
Oklahoma hired Witten as its tight ends coach in January, his first college coaching job. He spent the previous five seasons as head coach at Liberty Christian School in Argyle, where his teams won TAPPS state championships in 2023 and 2024.
Witten is not a member of the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor. The team has not added a member to the group since 2023.
Witten’s Hall of Fame case now moves into another voting cycle. The field will be trimmed during the season before 15 modern-era players are chosen as finalists.
The Class of 2027 will be revealed at NFL Honors before Super Bowl LXI. The game is scheduled for Feb. 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, with the new Hall of Fame class set for enshrinement in Canton next summer.
