Tony Romo - Pro Football Rumors

East Notes: Redskins, Eagles, Cowboys, Jets

February 20th, 2017 at 10:24am CST by Connor J. Byrne

Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon posted a message Monday on Instagram with the caption “#YallHiring?,” leading both Jason Cole of Bleacher Report and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com to infer that he’ll test free agency next month (Twitter links). There are already several potential suitors for Garcon, who could get $9MM-plus per year on his next contract. The 30-year-old is fresh off his second 1,000-yard season and hasn’t amassed fewer than 68 catches in a campaign since a 10-game, 44-reception showing in 2012.

Tony Romo Open To Facilitating Trade

February 19th, 2017 at 6:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the ideal outcome for Tony Romo‘s chances at starting for a contending team is a Cowboys release, the 15th-year veteran knows he could possibly fetch his team a Day 2 pick in a trade. The likely departing quarterback is open to the possibility of adjusting his contract to help facilitate a trade, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports.

This adjustment, though, would be designed to help Romo land with a contending team. But the veteran passer does not have a mandate about how this plays out. He’s not demanding anything from the Cowboys and does not plan to do so, per La Canfora. Jerry Jones and his previous starting quarterback have not sat down to discuss this complex situation yet, but La Canfora notes this dialogue will likely occur before the Cowboys’ contingent leaves for the Combine early next month.

Romo expects to be released, but La Canfora notes neither side knows how this saga will unfold at this juncture. The four-time Pro Bowler will carry a league-high $24.7MM cap figure in 2017 and is signed through 2019, with cap numbers of $25.2MM and $23.7MM in ’18 and ’19 set. It would take plenty of adjusting to get prospective quarterback-needy contenders to agree to a trade, though, especially considering Romo’s now-extensive injury history.

However, La Canfora notes the since-demoted passer is “working out like a demon” to be ready physically this offseason. Romo has not started in a game since November of 2015 and played in just one in 2016.

The Cowboys could be aiming for a third-round pick for Romo, but two of the teams that would fit the profile for a possible suitor — the Broncos and Texans — are not said to be interested in a trade. The Broncos, though, could be interested in signing the 36-year-old QB if he hits the free agent market. Their public commitment to Alex Smith notwithstanding, the Chiefs may be on the lookout here as well.

Tony Romo Expecting To Be Cut By Cowboys

February 16th, 2017 at 11:23am CST by Zachary Links

We’ve heard quite a bit of Tony Romo trade speculation in recent months, but the veteran quarterback sees things playing out differently. Romo is expecting to be released and he believes he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL for two or three more seasons, a source tells Ed Werder of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Romo, who turns 37 in April, has not played a full season of football since 2014. His current contract calls for him to earn a $14MM base salary in 2017 and it would be challenging for the Cowboys to convince another team to give up draft picks in addition to paying out that deal. Beyond that, Romo presumably wants to choose his own landing spot rather than leave it to chance. Given his close relationship with owner Jerry Jones, it seems possible that he could secure his release.

One recent report claimed the Bills have “significant” interest in Romo, but the veteran might want to join a team that is closer to contention. The Broncos have been frequently mentioned as a possibility while the nearby Texans are not interested.

Bills GM Wants QB Cardale Jones To Start?

February 10th, 2017 at 8:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bills are still working through the idea of retaining quarterback Tyrod Taylor, but general manager Doug Whaley is thought to be in favor of starting 2016 fourth-round pick Cardale Jones next season, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News.

Buffalo’s front office has been smitten with Jones for some time, as reports before last year’s draft indicated the club was “enamored” with the then-Ohio State quarterback, while Whaley & Co. were reportedly pushing for Jones to play at the tail end of last season. Jones eventually did see some action during Week 17, completing six of 11 passes for 96 yards and an interception, but the most notable thing he did during his rookie campaign was knock a phone out of a reporter’s hand during training camp with a pass that was overthrown by 20 yards.

But unless the Bills come to an agreement with Taylor, Jones may be their only option under center. The club could pursue a veteran in free agency, but most of the signal-callers on the open market are less than inspiring. One recent report claimed Buffalo has “significant” interest in Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, but Carucci shoots down that notion, observing that Romo likely will target a team with a clearer path to contention.

Meanwhile, while Taylor is not open to accepting a paycut in order to remain with the Bills, a “very real possibility” exists that Taylor would be amenable to some sort of contract restructure that lowers his 2017 cap charge but doesn’t amount to a pay reduction, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Of course, a restructure that doesn’t involve a paycut is essentially a cosmetic change that often allows a player to receive money even earlier, so theoretically any player should be receptive to such a move.

NFC Notes: Romo, Redskins, Bucs, Peterson

February 9th, 2017 at 9:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Usually not shy about voicing Cowboys stances, Jerry Jones doesn’t yet know how the team will proceed with Tony Romo, acknowledging multiple moving parts stand in the way of a resolution presently.

“The team we have, especially the offensive side, was built for Tony,” Jones said during his weekly radio spot with KRLD-AM (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com). “This is what it is. It’s a juncture we have to address. I don’t know how ultimately we will resolve this and nobody should be alarmed because you don’t have all the answers. There are some issues here that you just have to see how the cards are playing.”

Jones added his close relationship with the 36-year-old passer will help the sides during this process, so that could potentially mean he’s willing to work with Romo rather than trade him to a place he does not want to go. The quarterback is not believed to be considering retirement and wants to play for a contending team. The Cardinals initially appeared on a prospective Romo short list, but Carson Palmer‘s return closes that door. Chiefs GM John Dorsey evaded a Romo query today, Dave Skretta of the Associated Press notes, and Broncos coaches spent time Wednesday saying their 2017 quarterback is already on the roster. Both AFC West teams have been linked to Romo recently, though.

Here’s more from the Romo derby, along with the latest from the NFC.

In a snazzy ESPN.com piece, the Bears are seen as a top realistic destination for Romo. On a list housing several teams, the Bears potentially signing Romo as a free agent and grooming a high draft pick strikes various ESPN staffers as a viable option. Romo, though, may not want to consider the Bears due to their struggles in recent seasons. The Bills are known to have interest, but Romo isn’t believed to reciprocate that. Buffalo finished four games better than 3-13 Chicago in 2016.
Redskins president Bruce Allen is applying pressure to GM Scot McCloughan after recent struggles in free agency and the draft, Mike Jones of the Washington Post reports. Allen wouldn’t let McCloughan speak to reporters at the Senior Bowl and, per Jones, won’t permit him to talk with media at the Combine, instead preferring the third-year GM concentrate on repairing the team this offseason.
Some talk’s surfaced about the Redskins moving Bashaud Breeland from cornerback to safety, Jones notes. But the reporter adds some in the organization would rather leave fourth-year player where he is. Breeland’s started 42 games in his three seasons, but the Redskins have more questions at safety than corner at present. Relocating inside linebacker Su’a Cravens to safety remains in consideration as well.
The Buccaneers already assessing own free agents and Roy Cummings of FloridaFootballInsiders.com ran down the players that he feels should be retained. Defensive end Will Gholston isn’t a sack machine but he tops the list because of his age (25; 26 in July) and versatility. Cummings estimates that he’ll earn as much as $5MM/year on the open market, but that could prove to be a bargain in the long run. Other priority free agents listed include safety Bradley McDougald, wide receiver Russell Shepard, and running back Jacquizz Rodgers.
Adrian Peterson‘s $18MM cap figure is more than twice as high as any running back in the league for 2017 and the Vikings will have a challenge in reworking his deal. For insight, ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling spoke with former agent and exec Andrew Brandt, who speculated that a fair deal could have a $5MM-$7MM base plus incentives based on playing time. Whether that kind of deal would be accepted is another question. Because Peterson is such a prideful player, he could opt to test the open market if he feels insulted by whatever Minnesota offers him.

Zach Links contributed to this report.

Extra Points: Jets, Falcons, Romo, Bills

February 6th, 2017 at 9:14pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Former Seahawks offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates has emerged as a strong candidate to become the Jets’ quarterbacks coach, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link). The 40-year-old Bates hasn’t coached anywhere since 2012, when he oversaw the Bears’ QBs, but he did work on the same staff as then-USC offensive coordinator and now-Jets OC John Morton in 2009. If Bates ends up in New York, he’ll join a team whose starting signal-caller for 2017 probably isn’t on its roster yet.

A few more notes from around the NFL:

Falcons right tackle Ryan Schraeder tore a ligament in his right ankle Sunday during the team’s Super Bowl LI loss to the Patriots, a source told Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Schraeder suffered the injury in the second quarter and eventually departed in the fourth, when the Falcons were amid an all-time meltdown. Fortunately, this ailment seems unlikely to affect Schraeder going into next season – it’ll take “probably a good month” for the stalwart to feel normal again, per the source.
Should a team trade for Cowboys backup quarterback Tony Romo this offseason, that club would have to take on his $14MM base salary for 2017 before reworking his contract, tweets CBS Sports’ Joel Corry. The Cowboys would likely permit the acquiring team to have contract-related discussions with Romo’s camp before the trade, Corry adds.
The Bills will hire Gill Byrd to coach their defensive backs, report Vic Carucci and Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). The father of ex-Bills safety and current Saint Jairus Byrd, Gill Byrd served as the Buccaneers’ defensive backs coach from 2014-15. He worked under former Bucs D-coordinator Leslie Frazier, who’s now atop the Bills’ defense, in each of those two seasons.

Tony Romo Will Play In 2017 Despite TV Interest

February 5th, 2017 at 9:41am CST by Rory Parks

Just last night, PFR published a poll so that its readers could offer their opinion as to what team Tony Romo will suit up for in 2017. The choices provided were the Cardinals, Cowboys, Broncos, Texans, and Chiefs, and there was also a choice for “another team.” Conspicuously absent from that list was the possibility that Romo would not play for any team in 2017, and that he would retire instead (currently, over 37% of voters believe that Romo will wind up in Denver; the Chiefs are in second place, with just over 17% of the vote).

[RELATED: Bills Interested In Tony Romo]

Indeed, there have been virtually no rumblings that Romo is considering hanging up the cleats, so this morning’s report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggesting that Romo does not plan to retire almost qualifies as non-news. However, Schefter does note that Romo has already received strong interest from television networks that want him to work as a color analyst, and as a 37-year-old coming off a significant back injury, a television gig could be quite appealing.

But Romo still apparently wants to chase that elusive Super Bowl ring and has no plans to entertain those TV offers at this time. While the Cowboys would of course prefer to trade their longtime signal-caller, it is difficult to envision their being able to convince an opposing team to part with a draft pick and take on Romo’s current contract. It is much more likely that Dallas will be forced to release Romo, at which point he may well have an opportunity to join one of the above-referenced clubs, or another contending team that is looking to take a chance on an aging but talented quarterback that could put them over the top.

Chiefs Eyeing Upgrade At Quarterback

February 4th, 2017 at 10:03am CST by Ben Levine

The Chiefs have finished with a winning record in each of their four seasons with Alex Smith under center. However, the team has only made three playoff appearances, and they’ve been incapable of advancing past the divisional round. As a result, the Chiefs may be looking for a change, and there’s an obvious name that they could pursue.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Chiefs have been looking to upgrade the quarterback position following their playoff loss to the Steelers. The writer suggests that the organization could end up going after Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

“It was noteworthy when Andy Reid was non-committal to Alex Smith,” Rapoport said. “They’ve made a QB trade in the past, doing so for Alex Smith. They’d have to be considered someone who would be a possibility.”

The connection between Romo and the Chiefs isn’t very surprising, as Romo listed Kansas City as one of his “favored destinations” (along with the Broncos, Texans, and Cardinals). If the Chiefs did somehow acquire Romo, it’s unlikely that Smith would be part of that swap or any other trade. Rapoport notes that the Chiefs would likely cut the veteran quarterback, which would leave the organization with $7MM in dead money. The 32-year-old has two years remaining on his contract, and his 2018 cap hit is projected to be north of $20MM.

Smith threw for a career-high 3,502 passing yards this past season, but it was an otherwise typical season for the 11-year veteran. Smith’s 67.1-percent completion percentage, 15 touchdowns, and eight interceptions were generally on par with his career numbers, and the Chiefs once again ranked towards the bottom of the league in passing offense.

Of course, Smith still put up better numbers than Romo, who sat out the majority of the season with a back injury. The 36-year-old ultimately appeared in one game this season, completing three of his four pass attempts for 29 yards and one touchdown. With the organization opting to build around Dak Prescott, Rapoport notes that the veteran quarterback is open to a trade. However, the writer also reports that Romo is still considering retirement.

Bills Interested In Tony Romo

February 2nd, 2017 at 5:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bills have “significant” interest in Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, although Buffalo is still eyeing a future with incumbent QB Tyrod Taylor, albeit on a cheaper contract than the his current option-based deal, which would guarantee him north of $30MM.

Romo, meanwhile, unsurprisingly prefers to land with a contending team, and it’s not clear that he views the Bills in such a light. Instead, Romo’s list of favored destinations includes the Broncos, Texans, Cardinals, and Chiefs, per La Canfora. Denver has been tossed out as a suitor for Romo before, but the general manager John Elway & Co. are reportedly more likely to target Romo as a free agent than as an acquirable asset. Houston, too, doesn’t appear to be in the running, as the Texans are more likely to draft a quarterback than pursue a veteran option.

Barriers block a potential path between Romo and Arizona/Kansas City, as well. Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer has reportedly been contemplating retirement, but the chances of his return could be buoyed by wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald‘s announcement that he’ll continue his career in 2017. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have Alex Smith under contract for the next two seasons, but could theoretically release him with a post-June 1 designation, and take on dead money charges of $3.6MM in 2017 and 2018.

Romo, hypothetically, would be a solid fit in new Buffalo offensive coordinator Rick Dennsion‘s scheme, which utilizes many of the same zone-blocking concepts deployed by the Cowboys. The Bills ranked first in rushing DVOA last season but just 19th in passing DVOA.

Texans Likely To Draft QB, Won’t Pursue Romo

February 1st, 2017 at 5:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Texans are likely to select a quarterback at some point in the 2017 draft, team owner Bob McNair told the media today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (all Twitter links). “We need better performance out of that position, [but there’s not much available out there,” said McNair, referring to the dearth of quarterback options on the free agent market, before intimating that he’d hope Tom Savage is given the opportunity to compete with Brock Osweiler for the starting job in Houston.

Veteran Cowboys QB Tony Romo, meanwhile, isn’t an option for the Texans, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, ruling out one potential fit for the 36-year-old signal-caller. Denver is said to be Romo’s preferred landing spot, although the Broncos may be more apt to pursue him if he’s released from Dallas (rather than being forced to finagle a trade). Cowboys owner Jerry Jones may not wish to see Romo land with another Texas-based club, and Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) reports Romo wants to join a team that will play the Cowboys in 2017, another factor against the Texans.

Houston is essentially stuck with Osweiler, who completed less than 60% of his passes for 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions last season, as releasing him now would leave the Texans with a $25MM dead money cap charge. Even a post-June 1 cut would result in a $19MM hit, so the club doesn’t have much of an option other than retaining Osweiler for at least one more season.