Tony Romo

Cowboys’ Deadline For Tony Romo Solution Is Training Camp

March 28th, 2017 at 7:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cowboys will make a decision on the future of quarterback Tony Romo before training camp, team owner Jerry Jones told reporters, including Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link).

Earlier this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported Romo could stick on the Dallas roster past the draft, but Jones’ deadline extends even further. If the Cowboys hold onto Romo until training camp, he may not find a new club until July. With his options already dwindling (the Broncos seem to be content with Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch), Romo may find himself in an untenable situation this summer.

The Texans still stand out as a possible destination for Romo, and the 36-year-old reportedly believes he’ll end up choosing between Houston and retirement. Still, it’s fair to wonder if the Texans — or any other club that may have interest in Romo — is willing to wait until the summer to land its quarterback.

Of course, Romo does have off-the-field options, as both CBS and FOX are courting him as a television analyst.

Cowboys Won’t Recoup Tony Romo’s Bonus

March 28th, 2017 at 10:01am CST by Dallas Robinson

If Tony Romo opts for retirement this offseason, the Cowboys will not attempt to recoup the $5MM in signing bonus money to which they’d be entitled, reports Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram.

Romo was paid a $25MM signing bonus when he agreed to an extension in 2013, and although that total has already been paid out, $5MM remains on the 2017 salary cap. Signing bonuses are spread out over five seasons for accounting purposes, and the contractual bargaining agreement would allow Dallas to go after that money if Romo decides to hang up his cleats.

Thus far, the 36-year-old Romo has given no indication that he’s ready to retire. In fact, reports have indicated that Romo is set on playing in 2017 despite interest from both CBS and FOX, both of whom are intrigued by Romo’s future in television. But as potential landing spots dwindle — the Broncos, at least publicly, are content to roll with their internal quarterback options — Romo may now believe the Texans or retirement are his only remaining options.

The Cowboys will also not target the signing bonus cash remaining on offensive tackle Doug Free‘s contract, per Hill. Free announced his intent to retire earlier this month.

Cowboys Not Ready To End Tony Romo Saga

March 27th, 2017 at 6:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Quarterback Tony Romo presumably won’t be on the Cowboys’ roster next season, nor are they likely to find a trade partner for him, but he won’t be leaving Dallas imminently. There’s a possibility the Cowboys will retain the soon-to-be 37-year-old past the draft, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

The Cowboys have been hoping to trade Romo, who’s now behind Dak Prescott in their QB pecking order, but they’re lacking leverage. There are only two obvious possibilities for Romo, Denver and Houston, and the Broncos seem uninterested in acquiring the veteran. Even if the Cowboys release Romo, the Broncos don’t intend “to go that direction,” general manager John Elway told Mike Klis of 9News. Before his conversation with Klis, Elway indicated he’s content to let in-house signal-callers Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch compete for the No. 1 job in 2017.

The Texans, unlike the Broncos, don’t have anything resembling a starting QB on their roster. As a playoff-caliber team, they’re a clear fit for the accomplished Romo. One possible problem for the Texans is that they share a state with the Cowboys, whose owner, Jerry Jones, might not want to help out another Texas-based NFL franchise by cutting Romo and essentially giving him to Houston.

The likelihood is that Jones will eventually release Romo, who’s currently slated to rake in a $14MM base salary and count $24.7MM against the Cowboys’ cap in 2017. By designating Romo a post-June 1 cut, the Cowboys would save $12MM of spending space for next season. That would come in handy for a team with just under $5.5MM in breathing room at the moment.

Elway: Broncos Content With Siemian, Lynch

March 27th, 2017 at 4:40pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Cowboys backup quarterback Tony Romo reportedly wants Denver to be his second NFL stop, but if we’re to believe Broncos general manager John Elway, the feeling isn’t mutual. Elway once again gave votes of confidence to the Broncos’ top two signal-callers, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, on Monday, and indicated that the pair will engage in “a great competition” to decide the team’s starter for 2017 (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post).

“Like we’ve said, we really feel good about the two young ones we have,” Elway said of the 25-year-old Siemian and Lynch, 23. “Trevor did a good job for us last year and Paxton was young. The plan is to stay the course there and see what’s available in the draft.”

Considering Lynch was a first-round pick a year ago, it seems doubtful the Broncos will use another valuable selection on a passer this year. Although Lynch didn’t play much in his rookie season, when he appeared in three games and made two starts in place of an injured Siemian, the Broncos would reportedly prefer for him to win the job next season. That makes sense, as the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Siemian doesn’t match up with the 6-7, 244-pound Lynch in terms of size, arm strength or draft pedigree. To Siemian’s credit, though, the 2015 seventh-round pick was was reasonably effective in his first pro action last season, especially relative to his $615K salary. All told, Siemian completed 59.5 percent of throws, averaged 7 yards per attempt and tossed 18 touchdowns against 10 interceptions in 14 starts, eight of which resulted in wins for a 9-7 team that disappointingly missed the playoffs a year after winning the Super Bowl.

While Romo is obviously a far more proven option than either of the Broncos’ QBs and could theoretically help the club return to championship contention, he comes with myriad questions. Romo will be 37 in April, has barely played over the past two seasons because of injuries, and, if the Cowboys go the expected route and release him, would certainly warrant a higher salary as a free agent than those of Siemian and Lynch. Still, it’s not a lock those factors will combine to prevent the Broncos from at least kicking the tires on Romo if he reaches the market. As Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes (on Twitter), Elway’s not allowed to publicly discuss Romo because he’s still under contract another team. Thus, the Romo-to-Denver speculation probably won’t completely go away until his 2017 destination is actually known.

Extra Points: Broncos, Redskins, Raiders

March 26th, 2017 at 8:38pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Broncos were reportedly all but out of the Tony Romo sweepstakes as of Friday, and nothing has occurred at the NFL owners meetings to suggest otherwise. Broncos general manager John Elway hasn’t engaged in any trade talks at the meetings with Cowboys CEO and fellow competition committee member Stephen Jones, as Mike Klis of 9NEWS writes. “We’ve been here all week and his name never came up,’’ said Elway, who also gave further votes of confidence to Denver’s current top two QBs, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, per Klis. Even if the Cowboys end up releasing Romo, the expectation is Elway will still pass on the soon-to-be 37-year-old, notes Klis, who nonetheless cautions to “never say never.”

Broncos Backing Off Tony Romo Chase?

March 24th, 2017 at 6:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

While multiple networks have now entered the Tony Romo equation, one suitor’s interest may be dwindling. The Broncos are not aggressively pursuing Romo, per Jeff Darlington of ESPN.com, who adds Romo now believes his options are the Texans or retirement (Twitter link).

Darlington notes the Broncos haven’t closed the door on Romo, but they may be a clear second behind the Texans at this juncture. Romo-pursuing talk has emerged from Denver more than Houston during this complex offseason for the soon-to-be 37-year-old quarterback, but the Texans now have a bigger hole at quarterback and more cap space ($30MM to the Broncos’ $20MM) after making the unprecedented Brock Osweiler trade.

Romo has interest in the Broncos, Troy Renck of Denver7 notes. It’s unclear if that’s dissipated to the point a Denver route is no longer a reasonable consideration. Earlier this month, the Broncos resided as Romo’s preferred destination. Darlington’s report points to that no longer being the case. Renck notes the Broncos are still expected to express interest in Romo once he’s released, reiterating the team has “zero desire” to trade for him. The Cowboys are likely hoping to make one final push at adding something in return for Romo when the owners convene beginning Sunday for their latest meetings.

A Romo deal with the Broncos would be expected to be for $5-$8MM in base salary, Renck writes, with incentives that would possibly enhance the quarterback’s 2017 compensation to $14MM — his current Cowboys base salary. Neither the Broncos nor the Texans have a quarterback set to count more than $2.2MM against the cap this year. Houston backup Brandon Weeden is signed to a veteran deal but is only set to count $1.6MM against the Texans’ 2017 cap.

Photo courtesy of PFR on Instagram.

CBS, FOX Courting Tony Romo

March 24th, 2017 at 3:39pm CST by Zachary Links

There has been a lot of speculation about where Tony Romo will play in 2017, but there exists the possibility that he doesn’t play at all. Both FOX and CBS are interested in adding the Cowboys quarterback to their broadcast teams, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

After months of speculation about where the Cowboys quarterback could end up and how he’ll get there (trade or release), he remains in limbo. There is no realistic scenario in which he remains in Dallas to hold the clipboard for Dak Prescott. By the same token, the Cowboys are still hoping to get something to get something in return for him via trade, if possible. A trade would also allow them to dictate Romo’s landing spot. A wink-wink deal between the quarterback and Dallas owner Jerry Jones could steer him away from rival clubs, but a swap would give the Cowboys a level of certainty that a CBA rule-breaking handshake would not.

Of course, it’s not 100% clear that Romo wants to continue playing in the NFL. Now on the cusp of his 37th birthday, Romo has more money than he could ever spend and plenty of nagging injuries to already deal with. After injuries effectively sidelined the veteran for two straight seasons, no one would blame Romo for transitioning to the broadcast booth.

NFC Notes: Poe, Romo, Eagles, Lynch

March 18th, 2017 at 11:09am CST by Ben Levine

Dontari Poe is excited about the opportunity he has with the Falcons, but the defensive tackle understand that he needs to be in shape if he wants to be productive. Talking to ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure, Poe said head coach Dan Quinn echoed that sentiment.

“He just told me he wanted me to come in and play fast and be aggressive,” Poe said, “so around 330 is where I’ll play at most of the year. I feel like that will be a comfortable weight for me, too.”

Poe acknowledged that he’s currently at 340 pounds, so he doesn’t have much more to lose to reach his goal. Meanwhile, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com reports that Poe has a $500K weight bonus attached to his contract, so there’s added incentive to slim down.

If the 26-year-old isn’t overweight during the season, he should see an improvement as a pass rusher. After collecting 10.5 sacks between 2013 and 2014, Poe only compiled 2.5 sacks between 2015 and 2016.

Let’s take a look at some other notes from around the NFC…

Following news that the Cowboys were planning on releasing quarterback Tony Romo, reports indicated that the organization would instead try to trade the veteran. Florio wonders if the change of heart could be attributed to owner Jerry Jones‘ unwillingness to let Romo go to the Texans. The two teams aren’t technically rivals, but Florio believes the Cowboys owner doesn’t want to share viewers with another Texas team. Furthermore, if the Texans establish themselves as one of the best teams in the NFL with Romo, plenty of pundits will question the Cowboys’ logic to just cut bate with the quarterback. Ultimately, Florio believes that Jones is waiting for an offer to materialize at the upcoming league meetings.
The Eagles hosted running back Leonard Fournette yesterday, but Mark Eckel of NJ.com notes that the LSU product is expected to be taken prior to Philly’s first-round pick (No.14 overall). Therefore, the writer wonders if general manager Howie Roseman may have a trade up his sleeve. There’s certainly precedent, as the Eagles surrendered five picks and three players to move up to the second-slot in last year’s draft. Eckel believes Philly could find a trade partner in the Titans, who have the fifth-overall pick.
If Marshawn Lynch decides to unretire, ESPN.com’s Sheil Kapadia believes the Seahawks will be forced to release the running back. Lynch would have a $9MM cap hit in 2017, which would drastically cut into their nearly $15MM in remaining cap space. The team could look to trade Lynch, but it’s uncertain whether any teams would give up anything of worth for the veteran. Plus, by opting for that route, Seattle could end up being stuck with the running back, who would join an already-crowded depth chart. The Raiders have been rumored to be eyeing the five-time Pro Bowler.

Broncos Notes: Romo, Webster, Peko, OL

March 13th, 2017 at 7:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Connected to a high-profile quarterback acquisition for the second straight offseason, Broncos GM John Elway didn’t identify the team’s Tony Romo circumstances as being all that different from the ones that had Denver close to adding Colin Kaepernick last year.

“Yeah [it’s a similar situation], because we feel good where we are. There are so many things … everything gets ratcheted. I will just tell you this: There’s been a lot of things out there that are not true as far as what’s going with our quarterbacks. So that’s what happens. Everything gets frothed up,” Elway said, via Troy Renck of Denver7.

Renck adds that the latest coming out of Dallas is Romo is growing restless with the Cowboys’ tactics, with the franchise having backtracked on its intention to release him in order to pivot back to trying to trade the 15th-year quarterback. The Broncos remain unlikely to trade for Romo, per Renck, even after the Texans’ cap space-clearing trade of Brock Osweiler. It would be a “major upset” if the Cowboys found a taker for Romo’s contract in a trade, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

The Broncos nearly traded for Kaepernick last year, but the sides couldn’t agree on a restructured deal. Denver then selected Paxton Lynch in the first round but turned the reins over to Trevor Siemian for most of 2016. That competition would continue for a second straight year if the franchise doesn’t acquire Romo. Vance Joseph said the franchise is in good shape with Siemian and Lynch for “the next four or five years,” per James Palmer of NFL.com (Twitter link). Lynch is under Broncos control for four more years, with Siemian’s rookie deal running through 2018.

Here’s more from the Mile High City.

Meanwhile, Elway said his understanding is Kayvon Webster wants to play more (Twitter link via Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post). Webster has been public about his desire to have a larger defensive role and he won’t get that opportunity in Denver, being blocked on the cornerback depth chart. Webster, who made our list of this year’s Top 50 Free Agents, has long been expected to leave. The fifth-year corner has served as one of the Broncos’ top special-teamers, but after a rookie season in which fewer obstacles resided in between Webster and a defensive role, the Broncos’ 2014 additions of Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby effectively buried him on the depth chart for the ensuing three seasons. Now employing his previous defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips, the Rams are hosting Webster on a visit today.
Domata Peko also received interest from the Bengals, Vikings and Eagles prior to signing his two-year Broncos accord, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post tweets. Peko had obvious connections to the Bengals and the Mike Zimmer-coached Vikings but chose to join the Broncos.
Elway said the team’s starting left tackle might not be on the roster presently, per Renck, but noted recent right tackle signings Menelik Watson and Donald Stephenson are options there. Watson served as an emergency left tackle after injuries ravaged the Raiders’ tackle corps at a point last season, but Oakland primarily utilized him on the right edge. Stephenson began the 2015 season as the Chiefs’ starting left tackle, when he took Eric Fisher‘s spot, but Andy Reid reversed course and placed Fisher back there. Stephenson didn’t get a starting job back and signed with Denver, where he struggled as the team’s primary right tackle starter.
Denver still has interest in re-signing backup outside linebacker Dekoda Watson, according to 9News’ Mike Klis, who confirms the team’s interest in bringing back Vance Walker (Twitter link).
Newly signed Kasim Edebali will likely compete for work behind Von Miller and Shane Ray at outside linebacker, Wolfe writes. He played defensive end in the Saints’ 4-3 scheme and 58.7 percent of New Orleans’ special teams snaps in 2016. The Broncos also have Shaquil Barrett as their top backup at outside ‘backer.

Zach Links contributed to this report.

Latest On Tony Romo, Cowboys

March 11th, 2017 at 12:55pm CST by Ben Levine

When Tony Romo inevitably joins a new team, it will likely be via free agency. ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets that it’d be a “major upset” if the Cowboys trade the veteran quarterback, noting that it’s much more likely that he’s ultimately released.

There were whispers from earlier this week that the team was going to cut the four-time Pro Bowler, but subsequent reports indicated that the team was instead going to trade the 36-year-old instead. Regardless, Romo’s tenure in Dallas is surely over as the team looks to move forward with Dak Prescott.

The Broncos have consistently been connected to Romo, and we learned earlier this week that the veteran wants to play for Denver. The Texans have also been mentioned as a likely suitor, and the organization’s trade of Brock Osweiler may have been motivated by an impending Romo trade or signing.

Despite the rumors, the market for the quarterback has been “laid back,” although I don’t necessarily attribute this to a lack of interest. Rather, teams may not want to give up any type of assets for Romo. After all, the Cowboys won’t head into next season with another quarterback controversy, so their hand will eventually be forced.

Romo last played full-time during the 2014 season, when he completed a league-high 69.9% of his passes for 3,705 yards and 34 touchdowns against just nine interceptions.

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