ARLINGTON -- Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said he isn't ready to slow down like Tony Romo, his former quarterback.

In fact, Witten was in north Arlington on Wednesday helping to build a playground for a charter school after he had worked out.

Witten, who will turn 35 in two weeks, was entering the final year of his contract in 2017 before signing a four-year extension a month ago that will carry him through the 2021 season.

Witten said he spent time in the offseason contemplating his future and decided he wasn't ready to call it a career after 2017. Witten said he'd still take things year by year, even though he signed the extension.

The deal Witten signed didn't add any extra guaranteed money on the contract that would hurt the Cowboys if Witten decided to retire at any point.

"You always take it a year at a time," Witten said. "But certainly, I feel like I'm a part of this group that's continuing to build. I never looked at it from the standpoint that, 'Hey, this is the end.' I know my role within that and this group, and I'm anxious to get started. I don't know how many years that entails but I certainly feel a big part of it."

Witten spent his Wednesday morning in Arlington helping more than 200 volunteers build a new playground at Texas Leadership Charter Academy that will provide a safe zone for more than 700 children in the community to play. The playground will serve the charter school and be open for nearby students to use and also be used by the YMCA for after-school programs. Target and KaBOOM partnered in the effort to get the playground built.

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Witten talked about his decision to sign the contract extension Wednesday.

"A lot goes into it when you get to this point in your career," Witten said. "I certainly felt like we were building a team and we have a good mixture of guys and certainly expectations are high for us. I felt like that I could still play at that high level. I didn't see an end in sight. I felt confident. I took time after the season ended to evaluate it and look at it, and certainly I'm going to hold that standard really high for myself. I love our group and that was something I wanted to be a part of. I'm anxious to get started back, not only with my play and my level of play but just a part of that group. And I certainly feel like I can continue to be a part of that in the future."

Former Cowboys coach Bill Parcells told the New York Daily News last week that he was glad Romo decided to retire. He also added that he wished Witten would have retired, too.

Witten laughed when asked about Parcells' comments.

"Bill has been a great resource for me over the years. I think he's getting a little soft here in his old age, telling us to retire," Witten said. "I think for him, he's seen what Tony has gone through. Coach has been gone now for over 10 years. I think that's no different than a family member, somebody you love, you want to see them healthy and move forward. Coach knows I love to play and ... I feel good. He's certainly a resource for me, a mentor who allowed me to get to this position.

"For Tony, I know he had some people in his circle that he talked to and valued their opinion, and I think Coach was one of those guys."