Tony Romo’s time may be nearing an end in Dallas. (Getty)
Tony Romo has made two things clear this season. He supported Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys decision to stick with him as the starter. Romo has also reiterated that his playing career is far from finished and has a desire to play again. This has left the door open to plenty of speculation on what the Cowboys will decide about Romo’s future.
According to Spotrac, Romo is due to make $14 million next season. This is a lot of money for the Cowboys to earmark for a backup quarterback. With so many teams in need of a quarterback, there is a likely a list of suitors who would be willing to be trade partners with the Cowboys.
A trade may not be the ideal scenario from Romo’s perspective. According to Pro Football Talk, Romo could request his release from the Cowboys at the end of the season allowing him to choose his destination rather than a trade that sends him to a particular team.
While it is Romo’s prerogative to request his release, it is hard to imagine the Cowboys doing this unless they want to do Romo a favor. While it would help create more salary cap room for Dallas, it would not allow them to get anything in return for him.
The Eagles were able to get a first and fourth round pick from the Vikings in exchange for Sam Bradford. While Bradford is much younger than Romo (36 years old), Romo is a much better quarterback.
He has played sparingly over the last two seasons and his body has avoided the punishment of playing a full season. However, it is a calculated risk for a team to trade either a draft pick or player for a quarterback with a complicated injury history.
The Cowboys played Romo just enough in Week 17 to give teams a taste of his potential without putting him at great risk for injury. Romo led a touchdown drive in his first action since the preseason. He went 3-for-4 for 29 yards and a touchdown.
Jerry Jones seems to speak every week about the status of his long-time quarterback and, at times, has cast doubt on Prescott’s grip on the starting position. Head coach Jason Garrett has made it clear that Prescott is the starter for the Cowboys.
What’s most likely to happen? The Cowboys trade Romo to a team in need of a quarterback and willing to part with at least a first round draft pick. A number of teams have been mentioned as possible destinations for Romo including the New York Jets, Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins. Click here to see Heavy’s breakdown of potential landing spots for Romo.
