Jerry Jones can stop pretending now. Tony Romo isn’t coming back to the Dallas Cowboys in 2017, and at this point the only question remaining is where he’ll land.
“No one knows exactly how he will leave Dallas, via release or via trade. But no one expects him to return,” wrote ESPN’s Adam Schefter,
Schefter added that the Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs could all potentially look to bring in the veteran — a list not to dissimilar to the one we compiled recently (more on that here).
“It’s hard to know which of these teams will wind up with Romo, but it’s clear it won’t be Dallas,” Schefter concluded.
After listing those teams, Schefter mentioned that other teams in need of a quarterback but which aren’t likely to content won’t likely be viable contenders for his services.
One thing that has come out recently is that Romo reportedly wants to play against the Cowboys, now that they’ve moved on with Dak Prescott behind center.
He’s also reportedly willing to sign an incentive-laden contract, which could put teams like Houston and Denver into play. His current $24.7 million cap hit isn’t something many teams that could contend for a title next year can absorb, so it seems likely that contract will not stand.
The big risk for any team looking at signing or trading for Romo is obviously one that relates to his health. The quarterback hasn’t had a healthy season where he played in all 16 games in four years. On the other side of the coin is that, if he is healthy, Romo is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
This risk-reward play is going to have a hand in shaping the 2017 NFL season, one way or another.