Offseason In Review: Philadelphia Eagles
Led by rookie quarterback Carson Wentz and first-year head coach Doug Pederson, the Eagles posted a respectable 7-9 mark, an even more encouraging plus-36 point differential and a stunning fourth-place DVOA ranking in 2016. It was apparent, though, that Wentz didn’t have a talented enough supporting cast, so executive vice president Howie Roseman went to work in the offseason to give the 24-year-old face of the franchise more weaponry.
Notable signings:
- Alshon Jeffery, WR: One year, $9.5MM. $8.75MM guaranteed. $4.5MM available via incentives.
- Nick Foles, QB: Two years, $11MM. $4MM guaranteed. $5MM available via incentives.
- Stefen Wisniewski, OL: Three years, $8MM. $3.525MM guaranteed.
- Torrey Smith, WR: Three years, $15MM. $500K guaranteed.
- Chris Long, DE: Two years, $4.5MM. $500K guaranteed. $1.5MM available via incentives.
- Chance Warmack, G: One year, $1.51MM. $500K guaranteed.
- LeGarrette Blount, RB: One year, $1.25MM. $100K guaranteed. $1.55MM available via incentives.
- Najee Goode, LB: One year, $875K. $50K guaranteed.
- Matt McGloin, QB: One year, minimum salary benefit. $25K guaranteed.
- Trey Burton, TE: One year, $2.746MM. Signed second-round RFA tender.
- Patrick Robinson, CB: One year, $775K.
- Gabe Wright, DT: One year, $615K.
As PFR’s Dallas Robinson noted entering the offseason, Wentz played his initial NFL campaign with an underwhelming group of wide receivers. Aside from Jordan Matthews, who registered his third straight prolific pass-catching year (73 receptions), Philadelphia had very little at the position. Nelson Agholor, the Eagles’ first-rounder in 2015, notched a second straight lackluster showing, while fellow sophomore Dorial Green-Beckham was also once again unable to put it together. The Eagles waived DGB last month, which they were able to do in part because of the upgrades Roseman made over the winter.
Although the Eagles were hardly flush with cap space entering free agency, they managed to reel in arguably the best receiver available, former Bear Alshon Jeffery, on a shockingly reasonable pact. While less established wideouts such as Kenny Britt and Robert Woods, among others, landed long-term deals, Jeffery settled for a one-year, $9.5MM contract. That came on the heels of a PED suspension-shortened season in which Jeffery recorded career lows in receptions (52) and touchdowns (two) over 12 games.
Jeffery’s suspension seems like more of a blip than a major character concern, if you’re to believe that he unknowingly took a banned substance. The question now is whether he’ll bounce back to resemble the player he was from 2013-15, when the 6-foot-4, 230-pounder combined for 228 catches, 3,361 yards and 21 scores over 41 games. That translates to 89-1,312-eight over a full season, which is the type of top-shelf production no Eagles receiver has offered since Jeremy Maclin in 2014. Much of Jeffery’s damage this year should come in the red zone, where the Eagles logged the league’s ninth-worst touchdown percentage last season.
Like Jeffery, the Eagles’ other significant signing at receiver, Torrey Smith, brings a quality resume to the table. However, Smith fell off over the previous two years after leaving Baltimore for San Francisco, which couldn’t find anything resembling a solution under center during his Bay Area tenure. Smith suffered for it, especially during a 20-catch 2016, but he’s still relatively young (28), capable of stretching the field (17.0 yards per catch over 92 games) and durable. Prior to last season, when he missed four contests, Smith racked up five straight 16-game slates.
Even if Smith’s unable to regain the form he showed as a Raven in Philadelphia, it’s fair to say the Eagles took a calculated risk here. Worst-case scenario: Smith is on a one-year, $5MM deal that the Eagles will be able to escape if things go poorly. But a renaissance from Smith could keep him in Philly at affordable prices for the foreseeable future, as his contract includes a $5MM club option for both 2018 and ’19.
Along with upgrading the Eagles’ passing attack, Roseman addressed the team’s ground game with the addition of ex-Patriots bruiser LeGarrette Blount, yet another one-year deal recipient. The 245-pounder might not meaningfully boost the Eagles’ 18th-ranked yards-per-carry average from last year (4.1), as he only put up 3.9 per rush himself, but the $1.25MM man should join Jeffery in bettering their subpar red zone attack. Blount led all backs last season with 18 rushing TDs, a league-high 15 of which came inside the opposing 10-yard line. The Eagles’ primary ball carrier from last year, Ryan Mathews, also did well in that category (his eight TDs ranked tied for seventh), but he still lagged well behind Blount.
With his health in question, Mathews’ time in Philly is on the verge of ending, which will leave the backfield to Blount, Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood and rookie fourth-rounder Donnel Pumphrey. It’s not the most exciting group on paper, but it’s a low-cost quartet that should be reasonably effective. Further, those backs will run behind what might be the league’s premier offensive line, which will help cover up for their deficiencies.
Continuing the inexpensive veteran theme, the Eagles made a somewhat splashy move on defense when they added end Chris Long on a two-year, $4.5MM accord. There’s significant name value with Long, who was with Blount on last season’s Super Bowl-winning New England squad, but the 32-year-old isn’t the force he was earlier in his career with St. Louis. Still, it’s another sensible investment for the Eagles, who found a better fit for their defense than the released Connor Barwin when they reeled in Long. Barwin was great at times during his four years with the Eagles, but he clearly wasn’t an ideal match for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz‘s 4-3 scheme last season. Conversely, Long prefers a 4-3, where he can come off the edge, to the 3-4 hybrid he worked in last season with the Pats, who often deployed him along the interior of their D-line. On paper, Long looks like a rather impressive No. 4 end for a Philadelphia team that will enter the season with Brandon Graham, first-rounder Derek Barnett and Vinny Curry ahead of him on its depth chart.
Extra Points: Frantz, Guarantees, Deion
Kansas State tackle and NFL Draft prospect Scott Frantz has come out as gay, as detailed on ESPN.com. Frantz first came out of the closet to his teammates in 2015 during an exercise where Wildcats players told everyone a personal secret, but he did not truly go public with the news until this week.
“So the very first time I said those words were in front of, you know, 110, 120 football guys,” Frantz said. “So you can imagine how scared I was, how nervous I was. … This could go either really bad or could go really good. And thankfully my teammates embraced me with open arms, and it was great.”
Frantz started 13 games for Kansas State last season and it is believed that he has the ability to play at the next level. He’ll become draft eligible in 2019 and NFLDraftScout.com has him listed as a top ten tackle in the 2020 class, so he has a chance to become the first openly gay player to take the field in an NFL game. Former Rams linebacker Michael Sam was the first openly gay player to be drafted, but he never played in a regular season game.
Here’s a look around the NFL:
- More and more people are calling for fully guaranteed salaries in the NFL, but that won’t fly in football, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap argues. The way it works now is that teams are paying a large premium on the frontend of a contract with the hope that they will have something of a bargain in the latter years of the deal as the cap increases and the market for players at the position grows. If the league were to shift to full guarantees, then teams would adjust accordingly and they would instead offer deals that are shorter without frontloading. The real solution, Fitzgerald says, is for players to reduce the length of rookie contracts and tear down the franchise tag mechanism, allowing players to reach free agency at a younger age. If the NFLPA can manage that, players will be getting better compensation on the open market. On the flipside, that sort of change could take free agent dollars away from mid-level players in their late 20s.
- Will we ever see another two-sport star at the professional level like Deion Sanders? Robert Klemko of The MMQB explains why it is unlikely. UNC commit Jordyn Adams earned All American honors in both football and baseball and he would like to pursue both sports professionally. Still, even he admits that it’s an unrealistic goal in today’s climate.
- If you’re not already, follow @ProFootballRumors on Twitter for the latest NFL news.
Latest On Panthers, Michael Oher
Michael Oher‘s future with the Panthers is up in the air. What we do know, however, is that he will be in camp with the team when it’s time to report at the end of July, ESPN.com’s David Newton hears. 
Panthers training camp gets underway on July 25 and Oher will be there, despite previous uncertainty from coach Ron Rivera.
“We’re going to go into training camp with the guys that we have,” Rivera said recently. “We’ll have 90 on our roster, and we’ll be ready to go with those guys.”
Oher was displaced from the starting left tackle spot when Matt Kalil was inked to a five-year, $55.5MM deal this offseason. The hope was that Oher could take over on the right side, but the Panthers could instead opt to cut ties with him, given all of his issues.
Oher entered into the NFL’s concussion protocol last September and, at last check, he has yet to be cleared. The tackle is also dealing with and personal issues and fallout from the alleged assault of an Uber driver in the spring.
No player in NFL history has ever spent this much time in concussion protocol and returned to the field. Soon, we should have some clarity on whether Oher will be the first.
Cardinals’ Bruce Arians On Coaching Future
Cardinals coach Bruce Arians recently revealed that he had surgery to remove a cancerous piece of his kidney. Five months later, he says that he is feeling “great” and retirement is not at the forefront of his mind. 
“I hope not,” said Arians when asked if 2017 could be his last season (via ESPN.com). “That’s going to mean I’m not healthy.”
Arians’ contract runs through the 2018 season and he hopes to fulfill that deal, at minimum. The contract also includes a team option for the 2019 season. The 64-year-old indicated that he will walk away if and when he does “feel like doing it,” but that’s a far cry from where is currently.
The kidney scare was just the latest medical setback for Arians. In August of last year, Arians was hospitalized with symptoms of diverticulitis. In November, he was rushed to the hospital with chest pains. The good news is that Arians says he is all healed up from the kidney surgery and his only current ailment is a troublesome rotator cuff.
The Cardinals made the playoffs in both 2014 and 2015 under Arians with an NFC Championship Game appearance in ’15. This year, the Cardinals will look to improve upon 2016’s 7-8-1 finish and return to the postseason.
Poll: Which Players Will Sign By Deadline?
With five days to go until the deadline for teams to sign franchise tagged players to extensions, there apparently hasn’t been a ton of progress for any of the three players in question. Still, we’ve had some mid-July surprises in the past, like last year’s last minute extension for Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson. Here’s a quick refresher on where things stand for Kirk Cousins, Le’Veon Bell, and Trumaine Johnson:
Kirk Cousins
There has been no movement towards a deal for the Redskins and Cousins, and both sides are apparently alright with that. You know the deal by now: Cousins is looking at a $24MM salary in 2017 and the Redskins will have to give him a tender worth at least $28MM to keep him away from unrestricted free agency next season. Cousins is confident in his abilities and eager to push the market for quarterbacks, so he is not all that inclined to sign a multi-year deal. 
Cousins’ agent probably won’t consider any offer with less than $52MM guaranteed. If his camp really wants to drive a hard bargain, it will insist on a minimum $58MM in the bag since that factors in the value a third franchise tag in 2018 ($34MM) rather than the $28MM transition tag, which would only give Washington the first right of refusal.
Cousins, like any player in extension talks, must weigh the benefit of cost certainty versus the upside of the open market. But, with the way quarterbacks get paid in the NFL, he is looking at a high floor. Cousins is not considered to be a top five QB, but if he were to put pen to paper today, he would be the highest-paid player in the NFL – at least for a couple of weeks. Even if Cousins has a mild regression in 2017, he’ll still be looking at either a one-year, ~$30MM deal in Washington or a $100MM+ deal in free agency. In order for the soon-to-be 29-year-old to sign, he’ll either have to be wowed by an offer or he’ll have to catch a case of cold feet in the coming days.
Le’Veon Bell
Bell, by any measure, is one of the very best running backs in the NFL. In a suspension-shortened 2016 season, Bell earned his second career trip to the Pro Bowl as he ran for 1,268 yrds off of 261 carries, mirroring a career-high of 4.9 yards per attempt. He also added 75 receptions for 616 yards. When averaged out on a per-game basis, his 2016 numbers actually bested his 2014 campaign, a season in which he was a First-Team All-Pro selection. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus had Bell ranked as the third best RB in the league last season, behind only Ezekiel Elliott and David Johnson.
While there has been talk about Cousins being less-than-thrilled with Redskins management, Bell has been open about wanting to stay in Pittsburgh. The feeling is mutual as the Steelers want to keep in him in the fold for the long term. So, what’s the holdup?
Bell is probably seeking to overtake Bills star LeSean McCoy as the highest-paid running back in the NFL. The Steelers are probably willing to oblige, but, as we all know, there’s a difference between becoming the market-setter in terms of years/dollars and the true value of a deal. If Bell wants to sign a five-year deal worth more than $40MM, odds are that he could do that right now. What he’s really after, however, are substantial guarantees with significant cash flow in the first two years of the deal.
Running backs are always at a high risk of injury and teams are typically adversed to paying out real dollars for them on multi-year deals, even if the cases of exceptional players like Bell. The Steelers are hoping to find a happy medium with Bell in the coming days since his $12MM price tag for this year is high and a potential $14MM tag for 2018 is spit take worthy.
Trumaine Johnson
Like Cousins, this is the second year in a row that Johnson has been hit with the franchise tag. Where the situations differ is that there is zero chance the Rams will apply the tag to Johnson for a third year in a row. If Johnson plays out the year on his one-year, $17MM tender, he’ll hit unrestricted free agency at the age of 28 because there’s virtually no chance that the Rams would tag him at upwards of $24MM in 2018. 
Johnson has yet to establish himself as an elite cornerback, but this would be the time to do it as he enters a contract year. The Rams’ strong front seven should keep opposing quarterbacks under duress, allowing Johnson to swarm receivers on immature routes. It appears that Johnson has little incentive to sign a long-term deal here, unless the Rams are willing to make a cap-crippling commitment.
On Tuesday, it was reported that nothing is currently in the works for Johnson and the Rams. Things will have to change dramatically in order for Johnson to be committed to L.A. beyond 2017.
Take your pick
Which of these three players, if any, will sign extensions before the deadline on Monday? Cast your vote below and back up your choice in the comment section.
Which Players Will Sign Extensions Before The Deadline?
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Le'Veon Bell 43% (368)
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None 36% (313)
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Kirk Cousins 12% (106)
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Trumaine Johnson 9% (74)
Total votes: 861
Offseason In Review: New York Giants
Last offseason, the Giants made some serious noise by adding defensive tackle Damon Harrison, cornerback Janoris Jenkins, and defensive end Olivier Vernon in free agency. Thanks in large part to those upgrades, the Giants reached the playoffs for the first time since the 2011 season. Unfortunately, this postseason trip didn’t go quite the same way as they were blown out by the Packers in the opening round.
This year, as a result of last year’s expenditures, they had decidedly less cap room to work with. Will the Giants’ spring and summer moves allow them to get back into contention?
Notable signings:
- Jason Pierre-Paul, DE: Four years, $62MM. $29MM guaranteed. Had been assigned franchise tag.
- Rhett Ellison, TE: Four years, $18MM. $8MM guaranteed.
- Brandon Marshall, WR: Two years, $11MM. $5MM guaranteed.
- John Jerry, G: Three years, $10MM. $4.25MM guaranteed.
- D.J. Fluker, G: One year, $3MM. $1.5MM guaranteed.
- Keenan Robinson, LB: One year, $2.6MM. $1MM guaranteed. $800K available via incentives.
- Zak DeOssie, LS: Two years, $2.315MM. $400K guaranteed.
- Geno Smith, QB: One year, $1.2MM. $300K guaranteed. $800K available via incentives.
- Orleans Darkwa, RB: One year, $1.1MM. $200K guaranteed.
- Josh Johnson, QB: Two years, $1.95MM. $100K guaranteed.
- Shaun Draughn, RB: One year, $1MM. $100K guaranteed.
- Mark Herzlich, LB: One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K guaranteed.
- Devin Taylor, DE: One year, minimum salary benefit. $40K guaranteed.
- Valentino Blake, CB: One year, minimum salary benefit. $20K guaranteed.
- Kerry Wynn, DE: One year, $1.797MM. Signed original round RFA tender.
- Corbin Bryant, DT: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Duke Ihenacho, S: Contract terms unknown.
It’s hard not to be happy for Jason Pierre-Paul. Two years ago, it seemed like Pierre-Paul had thrown his career away in an unfortunate fireworks accident. However, JPP has proved many NFL analysts and armchair doctors wrong by performing at a high level even with one-and-a-half digits missing on his right hand. Finally, Pierre-Paul got the fat multi-year deal he was seeking this offseason with a four-year, $62MM commitment from the G-men. The deal gave JPP solid cashflow through the first two seasons (roughly $35MM, according to reports) and allowed the Giants to avoid having to pay him an exorbitant 2017 salary under the one-year franchise tag. 
Rhett Ellison might not sell a ton of jerseys in the New York area, but the Giants are hoping he’ll provide quality blocking when needed. Ellison, 29 in October, certainly wasn’t signed for his offensive skills as he averaged just 10 receptions per season during his five-year run in Minnesota. The $4.5MM average annual value of his deal took many by surprise, but the Giants had to compete with the Jaguars for his services and they felt that he was the right fit for their system. Fortunately, they have Will Tye returning this year plus a promising first-round tight end (more on him later) to provide Eli Manning with large targets across the middle of the field.
Is Brandon Marshall in decline, or was he just bogged down with the rest of the Jets’ offensive quagmire in 2016? The Giants are about to find out. Last year, Marshall had just 59 grabs for 788 yards and three scores. Those aren’t awful numbers, per se, but they pale in comparison to his previous stat lines. In 2015, Marshall’s first year with Gang Green, he had 109 catches for 1,502 yards and a career-high 14 TDs. If all goes well, Marshall’s first year with the other tenant of the swamp should yield results somewhere in the middle. Marshall could do a lot of damage as defenses focus in on Odell Beckham Jr. and speedster Sterling Shepard, but he also won’t be getting as many looks as he has been accustomed to. The good news is that the veteran has probably prepared himself for that mentally. Marshall signed with the Giants in large part because of his desire to win a Super Bowl and he is effectively choosing to do his damage in ODB’s shadow rather than being the No. 1 receiver for a non-playoff team. In his eleven career NFL seasons with the Broncos, Dolphins, Bears, and Jets, Marshall has yet to see the postseason.
In order for Marshall to thrive, the offensive line will have to do its part and protect Eli Manning in the pocket. To help accomplish that, the Giants added a bit of depth on the interior of the line. The Giants signed former Chargers first-round pick D.J. Fluker early on in free agency, a move that some thought would squeeze right guard John Jerry out of New York. Instead, the Giants moved to re-sign Jerry just two days later. The early word out of camp is that Jerry will start at right guard and the team may be too gung-ho about Bobby Hart at right tackle to give Fluker an opportunity there. Right now, it seems like Fluker actually projects as a swingman off of the bench. Alternatively, the Giants could drop Fluker before the start of the season and save $1.5MM against the cap.
Marshall isn’t the only player changing jerseys while staying in the same building. Geno Smith, who has spent his NFL career on the back page of the New York tabloids for all the wrong reasons, will attempt to reboot his career as Manning’s clipboard holder. Unfortunately for him, things are not going well so far in camp. Veteran Josh Johnson is currently the favorite to win the QB2 job while third-round pick Davis Webb pretty much has a guaranteed roster spot. That could leave Smith without a job this summer. The G-Men will only have to carry $325K in dead money if they part ways with the ex-Jet.
AFC North Notes: Steelers, Bell, Bengals
Here’s a look at the AFC North:
- Given the market for the running back position, Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell has reason to get a deal done rather than play the year out, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap writes. In the case of quarterback Kirk Cousins, he knows that a better offer will be coming his way next year. For Bell, however, the risk of an injury is so big that he probably has to consider any deal that gives him more than $9MM per year on average, Fitzgerald feels. There hasn’t been a ton of progress between the Steelers and Bell lately, but the Steelers have a track record for treating their players properly. If the two sides can’t come to terms, then Bell will play out the year on a one-year deal worth just over $12MM.
- In the event of an injury, the Steelers might regret not doing more at the running back position behind Bell, Ray Fittpaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. The Steelers are 11-5 (playoffs included) without Bell over the last two seasons. This time around, however, they are without the safety net of DeAngelo Williams. Williams remains on the open market and hopes that a return might be in the cards. For now, however, the Steelers have Fitzgerald Toussaint, third-round pick James Conner, and former Chiefs tailback Knile Davis behind Bell.
- Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is on the hottest seat of any coach in the AFC North, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com opines. In all of his years at the helm, the Bengals have not managed to win a single playoff game, and that’s a bigger headline than the team’s five consecutive playoff berths from 2011-2015. With a shaky offensive line, there’s no guarantee that the Bengals will be able to snap the streak this year. If the Bengals cannot take a step forward in 2017, this could be Lewis’ last year in Cincinnati.
Redskins, Cousins OK With One-Year Deal
Barring something unforeseen, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins will play out the 2017 season on his one-year tender. That’s just fine with both Cousins and the team, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. 
The Redskins, of course, have put themselves in a tough position by not signing Cousins to a more reasonable deal when they had the chance. In 2018, Cousins could become the best quarterback to reach the open market in recent memory and the only way the Redskins can stop him is by applying the $28MM transition tag on him or a third consecutive franchise tag at $34MM. The Redskins are facing a very delicate public relations situation here and the best way to save face, at the moment, is for them to act as though they are comfortable with the year-to-year-arrangement.
“Yes,” said Redskins president Bruce Allen back in May asked if his club could use the franchise tag on Cousins again in 2018. “In the collective bargaining agreement, we really have one year and an option that we can do at the end of next season if we don’t get a contract.”
The deadline for the two sides to reach agreement is on Monday July 17. If they cannot shake hands on a multi-year extension, then they will not be able to sign such a deal until after the season has concluded.
Extra Points: Strike, Rams, Relocation
Contracts are guaranteed in the NBA, where even mediocre players are capable of landing mega-deals, leading some NFLers to publicly express displeasure with the fact that their league’s deals are non-guaranteed. While discussing that issue Wednesday, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman offered a possible solution, albeit a controversial one.
“If we want as the NFL, as a union, to get anything done, players have to be willing to strike,” Sherman told ESPN’s Jalen Rose. “That’s the thing that guys need to 100 percent realize. You’re going to have to miss games, you’re going to have to lose some money if you’re willing to make the point, because that’s how MLB and NBA got it done. They missed games, they struck, they flexed every bit of power they had, and it was awesome. It worked out for them.”
NFL players haven’t gone on strike since 1987, though there was a brief lockout in 2011. With the collective bargaining agreement the owners and players negotiated then set to expire after the 2020 season, more labor strife is seemingly brewing. Back in February, months before Sherman’s strike recommendation, union boss DeMaurice Smith shot down the possibility of extending the CBA, and the players hadn’t given him permission as of last month to begin talks with the league on a new agreement.
More from around the league:
- While Sherman and others aren’t thrilled with the league’s current financial setup, one player who has done well in the system is Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The Rams placed the franchise tag on Johnson both last year and this offseason, putting him in position to collect $30.672MM in guaranteed money from 2016-17. To hit Johnson with the franchise tag again next winter would cost the Rams an untenable $24.1MM, so he’ll reach the open market at the age of 28 and have an opportunity to cash in on a long-term contract.
- Thanks to the relocations of the Rams, Chargers and Raiders, the league’s other 29 teams will each receive a gross sum of $55.2MM over an 11-year span, reports Darren Rovell of ESPN. The two Los Angeles teams, the Rams and Chargers, will each pay a $645MM relocation fee from December 2019 to December 2028, while the soon-to-be Las Vegas Raiders will owe $378MM. They won’t have to begin paying until the year they actually move to Vegas.
- Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan is likely to open the season on the physically unable to perform list, suggests Chris Boden of CSN Chicago. Trevathan ruptured the patella tendon in his right knee last November, forcing him to sit out the Bears’ final five games of 2016, and he’ll miss their first six contests this year if he goes on the PUP list. The former Bronco is entering the second season of the four-year, $24.5MM pact he signed with Chicago in March 2016.
Tony Romo “Done” Playing Football
As of late May, most NFL teams believed that retired quarterback Tony Romo would return to the gridiron “sooner” rather “than later.” However, Romo indicated Wednesday that his career is indeed over (via Marc Sessler of NFL.com).
“Like I said before, I’m done,” Romo declared in an interview with NFL Network.
That’s a far cry from Romo’s mindset in April, when he refused to completely rule out a comeback immediately after announcing his retirement and signing with CBS to become its lead color announcer.
“I’m pretty happy and excited about the opportunity that was presented to me,” Romo said Wednesday in regards to joining CBS.
Even though the 37-year-old Romo says he’s content in his new role, speculation about a return to the field could rear its head again if a team loses its starting quarterback to injury in the preseason. That’s what happened to the Cowboys last summer, who saw Romo go down in August with a broken bone in his back. The Cowboys replaced Romo from within, going with backup Dak Prescott – who had a shockingly brilliant rookie season – but only after first kicking the tires on potential starters from outside the organization.
While injuries limited Romo to just four games in 2015 and four passing attempts last year, he drew interest in the offseason from a few teams – including the Texans and Broncos – and said in April he could “play tomorrow” if he wanted to. Now, Houston, Denver and the league’s 30 other teams seem content to go forward with what they have under center, while Romo appears satisfied with his decision to walk away from football.