Tony Romo Trade Rumors: Releasing Star Quarterback Might Be In Dallas Cowboys’ Best Interest
The Dallas Cowboys were a pleasant surprise in the 2016 NFL season. Not only did they earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC (how many people predicted that one?), but they did so without star quarterback Tony Romo. As a result of rookie quarterback Dak Prescott emerging in a big way (that’s probably an understatement), Romo appears to be on the trade block, and the Tony Romo trade rumors are running wild as a result.
It would be interesting — to say the least — to see the Denver Broncos make a trade for Romo. Not only does Denver seem to have the pieces to win another title (who knows what this team could have done with a lethal quarterback in the 2016 season), but the Broncos have been in familiar territory before. After all, they landed Peyton Manning at the end of his career, and that worked like a charm for everyone involved. Heck, it even led to a Super Bowl victory in Manning’s last season.
However, not even a move by Denver, a team that seems to need a quarterback, although Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian are young talents who could make a big living in this league, seems likely.
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
ESPN’s Todd Archer is predicting that Romo will be released in the offseason. At this point in the game, that doesn’t seem like the worst option given Romo’s current contract.
“Tony Romo, the franchise’s leader in touchdown passes and passing yards, will be released. While there will be talk of a trade, there will be too many hoops to jump through to get a deal done. From the Cowboys’ perspective, designating Romo as a post-June 1 cut will open up more cap space, even if they have to take a cap hit over the next two seasons. It will be a goodbye as difficult as Jerry Jones has had to say to any player in his tenure as owner and general manager.”
While it would be nice to see Romo finish off his career with a title contender, it remains a mystery on how he will get there.
From opposing executives, trading Tony Romo may be harder than imagined. #Cowboys could even hold him until a QB injury in the spring/summer
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 15, 2017
No matter what happens this summer, one fact remains: Romo has only played in five regular-season games in the past two seasons combined. In 2014, Romo played in 15 games. In the process, he racked up 3,705 passing yards, 34 passing touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
If he can stay healthy, which seems to be the real question, then he will certainly make a team very happy in what appears to be the very near future.
For the time being, all focus will be on the 2017 NFL playoffs — well, at least for fans, that is. This weekend, the Green Bay Packers will be taking on the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship while the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots will meet up in the AFC Championship.
While a team like Denver seems to be a perfect fit for Romo, the Broncos have a lot of decisions to make in the offseason. That tends to be the case when a team is fresh off of getting a new head coach. Gary Kubiak recently stepped down from head coaching duties. His replacement will be Vance Joseph.
No matter where Romo ends up, and whether he is released or traded, it appears that the Cowboys are set for the future. Not only did Prescott surprise plenty of people this season, but rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott is arguably the best running back in the league.
With that said, the Tony Romo trade rumors will continue to swirl until Romo finds a new team. Of course, Dallas could always keep him, but that seems unlikely at this point.
[Featured Image by Tom Pennington/Getty Images]
