Most NFL teams are under the impression retired quarterback Tony Romo will play again, according to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report, who indicates clubs think Romo’s return to the league could happen “sooner” rather “than later.”
Romo, of course, announced his retirement last month and subsequently signed on to become CBS’ lead football commentator, replacing Phil Simms alongside Jim Nantz. Any comeback attempt, then, would likely be precipitated by a club — probably a contender — suffering an injury at the quarterback position. Indeed, several decision-makers tell Freeman that if their signal-caller goes down in the near future, Romo will be “will be one their first phone calls.”
Although he did retire, the 37-year-old Romo didn’t officially rule out an eventual return to the NFL, instead opting to say he was “99%” retired and cautioning observers to “never say never” to the possibility of a comeback. More importantly, the Cowboys chose to release Romo following his retirement announcement, meaning Dallas no longer holds Romo’s rights. If he does decide to re-enter the league, Romo will be free to choose his next team unfettered.
It’s not difficult to see why NFL teams will try to lure Romo out of retirement if the need for a quarterback strikes, as the only free agent passers with any sort of starting experience are Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III. Romo, clearly, boasts a more successful track record than either of those options or the rest of the available quarterback class, which includes the likes of Shaun Hill, Zach Mettenberger, and Dan Orlovsky.
Until the league office receives his paperwork filing for retirement of course he is not retired! As of Friday he will be a free agent who happens to work for CBS. End of picture, end of story.
Thanks for the sum up. Why no one in journalism can do it like this is beyond me.