One of the biggest offseason stories in the NFL will be the team that lands a quarterback who has hardly played the past couple of seasons. Tony Romo is likely not going to be playing for the Dallas Cowboys in 2017, but the possibility is still there. There are a number of teams who could use a good veteran quarterback as their leader and to help them elevate out of the cellar or to the next level, but what chances do any of them have of landing him?
Last year, Romo suffered another injury which took him out for the majority of the season and allowed rookie Dak Prescott to prove his worth. Not only did Prescott show that he was worthy of leading the team, but he almost pushed the team right into Super Bowl LI along with fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott .
Now, it isn’t out of the question for him to remain with the Cowboys, but the thing is, Romo still wants to play. If he stays where he is and has his contract restructured, he will be the backup to Prescott and probably not get much of a chance to be on the field.
While there are only four or five teams that really have a very good chance at landing Romo in a trade with the Cowboys, there are many others in play. ESPN broke down the entire list of teams that could make a run at Romo, and there are 12 of them who actually have a chance.
One of the biggest things to look at here is the money aspect of things and which teams could actually bring him in. This year, Romo is scheduled to make $14 million, and his current contract has him making another $40 million, according to Sportstrac , and that is a lot for any team to take on for a quarterback that will be 37 by the time the 2017 NFL regular season begins.
Here are the 12 teams in play for Romo in 2017 and ESPN ‘s chances of them actually landing him broken down into three categories.
“Long shot, but not impossible”
- Buffalo Bills
- Cleveland Browns
- Denver Broncos
- Houston Texans
- Kansas City Chiefs
- San Francisco 49ers
“Realistic Chance”
- Chicago Bears
- Dallas Cowboys
- New York Jets
“Other Long Shots”
- Arizona Cardinals
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Washington Redskins
Most of those teams have a desperate need for a new quarterback and others have overpaid signal-callers who aren’t quite cutting it. The Chicago Bears are one of those teams as Jay Cutler has really worn out his welcome with the team and parting ways with him would free up $13 million of salary cap space.
The New York Jets had a big-time quarterback carousel last year with Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and a couple of others. Those two aren’t going to be the future of the Jets’ franchise and the younger guys — Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty — need guidance and teaching from a veteran quarterback of which Romo is a good choice.
If the Cowboys are going to bring back Tony Romo, his current deal will need to be restructured, and there is not about that. That is far too much money to pay a backup quarterback and Dallas Could find an option outside of the organization that is much cheaper, younger, and in better health.
According to the Dallas News , Cowboys owner Jerry Jones actually doesn’t even know what to do with Tony Romo right now. He knows that it is a pressing situation and one that will need to be addressed soon, but at this point, a decision has not been made.
“The team we have, especially the offensive side, was built for Tony. 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. But we’ll work to this.”
Tony Romo has dealt with a lot of injuries over the past few years, and many may wonder if the aging quarterback deserves another chance. Despite the missed games and injuries, he is still very talented and has a lot to offer any teams in the NFL. The rumors are swirling as to where he may be traded, but a lot more needs to be looked at when figuring out the realistic chance of it happening. ESPN broke it down, but anything is possible.
[Featured Image by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images]