Tony Romo Trade Rumors: Broncos Want Cowboys QB, 49ers Want To Trade For Siemian

For months now, Tony Romo trade rumors have been swirling about the Dallas Cowboys making a deal with another team to unload their longtime quarterback. Romo’s injury ahead of the 2016-17 NFL season gave way to an opportunity for rookie Dak Prescott to showcase his abilities and he rose above expectations early enough to make him the team’s new starter. That left Jerry Jones and the Cowboys in a conundrum as Romo remained on the sidelines to watch the rookie QB attempt to deliver Dallas to a Super Bowl in just his first season. While Prescott and the Cowboys failed in their attempts, they seem ready for another run, which means its time to part ways with Romo.

The teams mentioned in rumors over the past several months as frontrunners for Tony Romo have included the Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, and Denver Broncos. According to a recent Colorado 9 News report from Mike Klis, the Broncos are now saying they’re serious about signing Tony Romo if and when the Dallas Cowboys release him from the team.

It’s also mentioned that one agent said Romo prefers Denver over all of the other options he has. The main reasons for the choice would be that the Broncos are a team that could contend now with Romo and also that Denver is a team that wouldn’t directly hurt Dallas’ chances of reaching the Super Bowl. The latter of these reasons stems from an “implied agreement” between Romo and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Since Denver is an AFC team they wouldn’t be in Dallas’ path in the NFC playoffs.

So does this move make sense? While it seems like the Broncos really want Tony Romo on their roster Fox Sports‘ Colin Cowherd of The Herd recently questioned on his show why Romo would even want to play for Denver. Cowherd mentions that Denver currently has a rookie head coach who is defensive minded, so it probably wouldn’t be the best fit for a guy like Romo who wants to let loose with his throwing arm under more of an offensive minded coach and system. In addition to that, Denver’s offensive line wouldn’t offer Romo the type of protection some of the other potential teams could.

Signing with the Broncos would be a HUGE mistake by Tony Romo pic.twitter.com/keXoPRHT0n

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) March 1, 2017

Still, it seems as if Denver is serious, and sources are indicating that Romo is too. If the Broncos are able to get Tony Romo it would mean that their current quarterback, Trevor Siemian, would probably find his way onto a new team as well. An article by Mile High Report‘s Scotty Payne says that teams that would be interested in Siemian would include the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, and maybe the Arizona Cardinals. However, the San Francisco 49ers seem to be especially interested due to new 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan expressing how impressed he was with Siemian’s performance so far in the league.

Siemian isn’t necessarily a bad quarterback for Denver either. For the past season, he threw for 3,401 yards and 18 touchdowns on 289-of-486 completed passes. Siemian also threw for 10 interceptions and finished with a total quarterback rating (QBR) of 55.8 percent, ranking him at No. 21 in the league. So far he’s spent just two years in the league so he could still develop more of his potential on the field that he was showing before he got hurt last season.

With Romo in and Siemian out, it would still leave young quarterback Paxton Lynch as a member of the Denver Broncos. It’s believed that Lynch would serve as a backup understudy of sorts for the veteran Romo. With Romo taking the leadership role on the field in Denver, Lynch would be able to develop into the starting role as Romo winds down his career and attempts to deliver Denver back to postseason glory.

In six weeks from now, Romo officially turns 37-years-old, so the window of opportunity for him to have a chance at a Super Bowl is quickly closing. Romo has shown good production on the field at times but has played just four games over the past two seasons due to a variety of injuries including collarbone and back issues. So Denver would be taking a gamble that he can step on the field, remain healthy, and contribute to them making a run at the championship.

The 2017 NFL free agency period will officially begin as of 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 9th. As of then, teams can begin talking seriously to player’s agents to make contract negotiations with any players who become free agents. The Click On Detroit website has reported on a number of NFL free agency rumors circulating about various players for the days ahead, but Romo is not being mentioned. Among the top players discussed are quarterback Tyrod Taylor, Green Bay’s Julius Peppers, Chicago Bears’ wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey, and Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor.

As Thursday draws closer, there could be even more speculation as far as the Tony Romo rumors go. As of right now, it’s looking less likely that he’ll be part of a trade and seems much more likely he’ll be released by the Dallas Cowboys and then signed by the team he prefers to play for. Whether that will be the Denver Broncos or another squad remains to be seen, but it is sounding like John Elway may have the inside track on another veteran QB for his team.

[Featured Image by Tom Pennington/Getty Images]