As the Dallas Cowboys prepare for their playoff game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, there are a ton of questions surrounding the future of Tony Romo in Dallas.
After injuring his back during the preseason, Romo ultimately lost his starting job to rookie quarterback Dak Prescott. It was a stunning development for a quarterback that had been the face of the franchise for the better part of the past decade.
While Prescott was busy putting up a historical rookie season for the 13-win Cowboys, questions started to come up regarding Romo’s future with the only team he’s suited up for during an illustrious 13-year career.
With $24.7 million owed to him next season, there’s little doubt that Romo won’t be back with the Cowboys. Owner Jerry Jones has already called him the most-expensive backup in the history of the NFL. That’s fine and dandy for one season. But with Prescott playing at an otherworldly level, there’s no reason for the Cowboys to pay a backup that vast amount of cash.
Now comes this report from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport indicating that Romo’s preferred landing spot looks to be the defending champion Denver Broncos.
Was asked about #Cowboys’ plans for Tony Romo in 2017. No secret, #Broncos are his No. 1 spot. I’m told DEN is not inclined to trade for him
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 15, 2017
In no way should this be considered a surprise. One of the biggest aspects of Romo’s decision will be about contention. Can he go to a team that has a legitimate shot at winning a Super Bowl? Of the half dozen teams likely to be in the market for a new starting quarterback, Denver boasts the best opportunity to compete.
The issue here, as Rapoport noted, is that Denver appears unwilling to trade for Romo. Again, that makes sense considering the 36-year-old quarterback’s salary for the 2017 season.
Denver itself has fallen on hard times at the quarterback position. Trevor Siemian struggled to do anything of substance in his first season as the team’s starter. Meanwhile, 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch looked overmatched in his limited playing time.
New Broncos head coach Vance Joseph indicated in his introductory press conference that there would be an open competition for the starting quarterback job during the offseason. Though, he stopped short of saying said competition would solely include Siemian and Lynch.
With this report, it sure looks like the Broncos might be looking at an outside option for the starting job. Though, their perceived unwillingness to pay a bounty for Romo could hinder this possibility.
Stay tuned, there’s a lot more that promises to break regarding this story before it draws to an ultimate conclusion sometime during the spring.