Latest On Tony Romo, Rolando McClain

Before his classy press conference, Tony Romo politely lobbied Cowboys brass for an open quarterback competition, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com writes. Not wanting to mess with their success, the Cowboys didn’t go for it.

“Tony’s smart,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said. “He’s very bright. And so when he came out and said it, in the end, I don’t think it took him long to figure that wouldn’t be a great thing for the team. We’ve got a good thing, and no one wants Dak looking over his shoulder.”

With a league-best 8-1 record, it’s no surprise that the Cowboys have decided to go with Prescott, but Romo’s petition to play was also expected. The veteran has taken the news hard, but he has also handled the situation with class.

Here’s more out of Dallas:

• Jones says that having Tony Romo on the team next year is tenable, even when considering his contract, Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram tweets. Jones added that he believes Romo is capable of quarterbacking a Super Bowl team and he has “no plans for him not to be a part” of the Cowboys (Twitter links). Romo is currently slated to earn a $14MM salary for the 2017 season and, in theory, Dallas could cut him for $5.1MM in cap savings. They could also find a decent trade market for No. 9. Multiple teams will be seeking a quarterback and there will be very few quality options in this year’s draft class.
• Jones says Rolando McClain will not be back with team when his suspension is formally lifted on Monday, Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram tweets. That doesn’t necessarily rule out a McClain return at some point this season, though the Cowboys might not want to go down that road. The linebacker reportedly wants to rejoin the team for the final stretch of the season.
• Teammate Jason Witten doesn’t think Tony Romo is thinking about retiring anytime soon.