Tony Romo Trade Rumors: Dallas Cowboys’ QB To Replace Carson Palmer On Arizona Cardinals?

The Tony Romo trade rumors have not died down all that much even with the Super Bowl arriving on this coming Sunday. The Dallas Cowboys might not be participants in this year’s edition of the big game, but they have a team that looks capable of making a run at it in future seasons with the right tweaks to the roster. With that said, one of the biggest stories of their season beyond the emergence of rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott was the intrigue over which teams Romo might end up with.

Since Prescott seems to have secured a starting job in Dallas, a number of teams including the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, and Houston Texans have all been mentioned as potential destinations for Romo. Several of those teams have high picks in the upcoming NFL Draft and may opt to select a new rookie quarterback for their franchise. There’s also been a discussion about how Romo could be a great fit for the Arizona Cardinals and possibly the best move for Dallas wouldn’t involve a trade at all. However, it involves some potential barriers to Arizona landing the star quarterback.

On a recent episode of Fox Sports 1‘s The Herd, Colin Cowherd discussed his latest thoughts on the Romo situation. He reiterated his stance that the best move for Dallas would be to simply release Romo. As Cowherd notes, the team would save $5 million a year on salary cap space, and it would also allow Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to let Romo choose where he wants to play, rather than getting traded away. The outspoken sports analyst goes on to say that he believes Romo could work in Denver or Houston, but that the Arizona Cardinals seem like a great fit as well.

The speculation for Tony Romo to head to Arizona comes as their own veteran QB Carson Palmer seems to be mulling over retirement. Palmer’s been in the league since 2004 and has played for Cincinnati, Oakland, and now the Cardinals. His numbers have been respectable overall, but it’s looking like his time to hang up the pads and cleats is drawing closer. That could make Arizona go after another top veteran to take his place, with Romo being among the top choices.

There’s a caveat to all of the speculation. As The Big Lead indicates, star receiver Larry Fitzgerald also seems to be contemplating retirement. As mentioned, Fitzgerald may be basing his decision on whether Palmer chooses to retire or return for another run at the postseason. This could become a case of whether or not Arizona is a team that Romo really wants to be a part of, and it may come down to the Cardinals trying to keep their star receiver around for another season by bringing in Tony Romo to guide the team.

As AZCentral reported in their article regarding Fitzgerald, former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Kurt Warner said he believes the star receiver is content with his career but might stay for the purpose of winning a ring.

“I do believe he wants to win a championship. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s going to come down to. If he feels like he’s got one more year, and this team is in a position to contend for a championship, I think he’s probably going to come back for one more.”

Interestingly enough, some NFL mock drafts have even speculated that the Cardinals might opt to draft a rookie wide receiver, which would probably be their move to replace Fitzgerald. Mike Williams of Clemson has been mentioned over the past several weeks. He hasn’t been touted as the next great receiver, but it’s always hard to know which young talents will emerge as stars in the league due to booms and busts occurring throughout the various rounds of each NFL Draft.

Williams isn’t quite on the level of a Larry Fitzgerald yet and hasn’t been compared to him by anyone. However, Walter Hill Football has said he’s drawn comparisons to Andre Johnson. Clemson had already brought the league quality receivers in recent years, including Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins. Having a receiver of that level around could also impact Romo’s decision to join the Cardinals as he certainly witnessed how the right rookies got things done in Dallas.

For now, Tony Romo remains a member of the Dallas Cowboys roster until a surprise trade is pulled off, or the team simply releases him so he can decide which team he wants to play for.

NFL fans, do you think Tony Romo and Larry Fitzgerald would be a good combination in Arizona? Would it give the Cardinals a shot at the Super Bowl, or would Dallas still be among NFC teams to beat next season?

[Featured Image by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images]