Tony Romo Hasn’t Filed Retirement Papers
Tony Romo has yet to officially file retirement paperwork with the NFL, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer writes. As Archer notes, the paperwork would be filed to the league and not the Cowboys since the team released him earlier this month. Regardless, whether or not Romo fills out those forms doesn’t mean a whole lot. 
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Even if Romo were to officially file for retirement tomorrow, it’s a quick and easy process to come out of retirement. If the quarterback filed his paperwork and changed his mind, all he would have to do is send a letter to Roger Goodell informing him of his decision. And, as a free agent, Romo is contractually unencumbered and could sign with any NFL team.
Romo, of course, is taking over for Phil Simms as CBS’ lead color analyst. That won’t do much to silence speculation about a potential return and the belief is that he has an easy out in his network contract if he chooses to return to football. He also didn’t do much to stop the chatter when he indicated that he isn’t 100% retired.
“Yeah, it was tough,” Romo said last week. “I think one of the hardest things was just not really knowing what direction — I mean right after the season I was playing football. That was a no-brainer for me at the time. And then I just, I feel like I do with all big decisions I’ve made in my life, you don’t want to make them emotional or quick, you want to kind of just soak in it, think about it and take your time and things start to reveal themselves I feel like. And you pray about it, go talk to your close family and people you trust, then you make the call and it feels right. It really does.”
La Canfora’s Latest: Conley, Cowboys, Tabor
Ohio State’s Gareon Conley is now being considered the safest cornerback prospect in the draft, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Fellow Buckeye Marshon Lattimore may have chronic hamstring issues that are scaring NFL teams, while Florida’s Teez Tabor posted poor measurables and reportedly isn’t fairing well during the predraft interview process. Conley, however, is viewed as a “super-clean” player, per La Canfora, and could be the top corner off the board later this month.
Here’s more from on the draft, all courtesy of La Canfora:
- The Cowboys will likely look into Conley and the rest of the defensive back class after losing their top two corners — and two of their top three safeties — in free agency, writes La Canfora. Dallas has used an ample portion of its predraft visit allotment on cornerbacks, and may look to add a back-end defender at pick No. 28. A trade up to draft an “impact” corner isn’t out the question, says La Canfora.
- Jarrad Davis (Florida) is expected to be the second off-ball linebacker selected in the draft, following Alabama’s Reuben Foster, reports La Canfora. Davis’ Pro Day, during which he posted a 4.56 40-yard dash and 38.5 inch vertical jump, impressed pro clubs, per La Canfora, and Davis is viewed as a leader who could immediately step into an NFL defense. Lance Zeirlein of NFL.com compares Davis to the Panthers’ Shaq Thompson, noting Davis’ “plus acceleration” and “closing burst.”
- NFL teams have been “turned off” by Oklahoma receiver Dede Westbrook, according to La Canfora, who notes Westrbook’s combine interviews left a negative impression. Westbrook, who has a history of off-field trouble, is reportedly deemed “undraftable” by some clubs, as Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com indicated last month. Based on his on-field production, Westbrook is a projected fourth-round pick, per Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com, who compares Westrbook to Houston’s Will Fuller.
- Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard could be the sixth quarterback off the board following Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, DeShone Kizer, and Davis Webb, says La Canfora. NFL teams like Beathard because he comes from a pro-style system, and La Canfora would be surprised if Beathard isn’t drafted by the conclusion of Round 4. In his senior season, Beathard completed 56.5% of his passes for 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Cowboys Will Add Another QB
- The Cowboys will add another backup quarterback in the coming weeks, but they won’t sign a high-end option such as Colin Kaepernick to play behind Dak Prescott, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. If Dallas does go the free agent route, it might ink someone like veteran Luke McCown, who was recently released by the Saints. Other signal-callers on the market include Matt McGloin, Christian Ponder, Shaun Hill, and Austin Davis, who met with the Cowboys last year. Dallas will also likely add a quarterback on Day 3 of the draft, writes Archer.
Tony Romo Discusses Retirement, Dak, Cowboys
It’s been a busy couple of days for former quarterback Tony Romo. The veteran announced his retirement earlier week, although he was subsequently released by the Cowboys. We later learned that Romo would be joining CBS to be one of the network’s lead commentators.
While we’ve seen plenty of reactions to these unexpected moves, but we haven’t heard a whole lot from Romo himself (except one quote that had him hinting that a future return to the NFL could be possible).
Romo appeared on several radio programs this week, including Mike Krzyzewski’s SiriusXM show, Basketball and Beyond, and the Ben and Skin show on KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan. Thanks to Jon Machota of the Dallas News, we’ve been able to collect several of those soundbites below…
On his decision to retire:
“Yeah, it was tough. I think one of the hardest things was just not really knowing what direction — I mean right after the season I was playing football. That was a no-brainer for me at the time. And then I just, I feel like I do with all big decisions I’ve made in my life, you don’t want to make them emotional or quick, you want to kind of just soak in it, think about it and take your time and things start to reveal themselves I feel like. And you pray about it, go talk to your close family and people you trust, then you make the call and it feels right. It really does.”
On his relationship with quarterback Dak Prescott:
“It probably wouldn’t have went the same way if Dak wasn’t, you know, a good kid. He’s very respectful. He’s someone that wants to learn.”
If you really just care about football. At the core, if you just love the game, I’m going to like you as a teammate. I’m going to root for you, I’m going to want to see you succeed and I’m gonna want to go out of my way to help you.
“He has the appetite to want to be great and he’s got a skillset that’s good. I think he’s just going to continue to develop it.”
On his relationship with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones:
“Jerry is just very unique in that he’s probably the most loyal person I’ve ever been around. Every once in a blue moon you can get in trouble with that. When you run an organization, you know, it’s like, you almost want to keep it a business sometimes because if you make it about the people you can make poor business decisions. And he really runs that fine line.
“I don’t know that he’s as close to all the players as people think, but he loves his players. He knows that they go lay it on the line. Our sport is a very physical, physical sport where people’s bodies are laid out there each week. Well Jerry, he knows that, he played the game. And so he knows enough to know when these guys go out there it’s really important on how they mentally go into it, physically they’re giving everything they’ve got.”
On his relationship with former coach Jason Garrett:
“I mean, Jason played quarterback in the NFL. He’s a very intelligent guy. Some of his wisdom, which is different than Coach Parcells, could come in with, a little bit was the mental aspect of it. Jason’s approach is a little bit probably what I really needed at the time [in 2007]. It was mostly about just trying not to do too much. It was just execute the play and we’ll see what happens. As the years developed you started to get a sense that if you have a really good team and you just go execute, you’re going to be very successful at the quarterback position.”
Broncos, Cowboys, Rams Extended Offers To DeMarcus Ware
Less than a month after his retirement, DeMarcus Ware shed some light about what could have been had he sought to return for a 13th NFL season. The future Hall of Fame edge defender told Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post he received three offers this offseason as a UFA — from the Broncos, Cowboys and Rams.
Ware told the Denver-based reporter something changed between early February and mid-March, leading him to retire. The 34-year-old posted on social media on New Year’s Eve of last year he planned to play in 2017, but he reversed course. However, Ware told Jhabvala had he been under contract with the Broncos for another year he would be suiting up for them this coming season.
Denver’s right outside linebacker said retirement didn’t cross his mind during last season, but he did reveal that he played around three games with a herniated disc in his back. He underwent back surgery following the Broncos’ Week 16 game in Kansas City.
“I’d sit down in meetings not knowing if I’d be able to get up,” Ware said, via Jhabvala, about going through weeks with the herniated disc. “This is stuff people don’t know you go through because I love playing football. … That [Chiefs] game, I was hurting so bad. I told myself, ‘You need to just get yourself fixed.”
It wasn’t known until today how serious a possible reunion with Wade Phillips in Los Angeles was. Ware visited the L.A. in March, with the Rams joining the Broncos and Cowboys in the pursuit. Jane Slater of NFL.com reported multiple teams offered Ware at least $7MM per year. He finished out a three-year, $30MM contract with the Broncos last season.
Reaction To Tony Romo’s Retirement
Today was essentially Tony Romo Day in the NFL — the longtime Cowboys quarterback retired rather than possibly pursue a late-career opportunity with another club, signed on to become CBS’ No. 1 color commentator, and was officially released by Dallas.
Let’s take a look at some of the reaction to and fallout from Romo’s decision to hang up his cleats:
- While Romo wouldn’t rule out an eventual return to the NFL earlier today, one source tells Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link) Romo won’t be on the field again. “It’s over,” said the source. “He’s done. This was a no-brainer.” Theoretically, nothing prevents Romo from a midseason comeback once the 2017 campaign gets underway, especially if his contract with CBS contains opt-out clauses (as is rumored). Plus, now that the Cowboys have released Romo, his rights are no longer owned by a single club.
- Romo contends he would have had to pay back money to the Cowboys had they not chosen to release him, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link). However, Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram reported Dallas would not have gone after the $5MM in signing bonus money to which it was entitled. Unless the organization had privately changed course on that aspect of Romo’s contract, he needn’t have worried about sacrificing money.
- Had he not retired, Romo — unsurprisingly — would have been atop the Texans’ wishlist, and Houston would have signed him to a deal that paid him like a starter “if he played and performed as such,” tweets Werder. Romo admitted the Texans would have been among the teams he strongly considered playing for, but Werder’s report indicates a contract with Houston would have been heavily incentivized.
- CBS began discussing a possible deal with Romo as soon as the season ended, CBS Sports president Sean McManus says (Twitter link via Breer). Negotiations apparently intensified over the past month, and a final deal came together on Monday evening.
Cowboys Meet With 21 NFL Draft Prospects
The Cowboys have now used more than two-thirds of their 30 allotted predraft visits, and Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link), Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), and Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News have provided the list of prospects with whom Dallas has met:
- Colorado CB Chidobe Awuzie
- Tennessee DE Derek Barnett
- Ohio DE Tarell Basham
- Ohio State CB Gareon Conley
- Oregon State DB Treston Decoud
- USC CB Adoree’ Jackson
- Washington CB Kevin King
- Villanova DE Tanoh Kpassagnon
- USC JuJu Smith-Schuster
- Florida CB Teez Tabor
- Clemson CB Cordrea Tankersley
- Colorado S Tedric Thompson
- LSU CB Tre’Davious White
- Utah S Marcus Williams
- Florida CB Quincy Wilson
- Louisiana Tech S Xavier Woods
The Cowboys’ visits with Michigan DE Taco Charlton, UCLA DE Takkarist McKinley, UConn S Obi Melifonwu, UCLA CB Fabian Moreau, and Wisconsin LB T.J. Watt had all been previously reported.
Tony Romo Won’t Rule Out NFL Comeback
The Texans were said to have interest in Tony Romo and we now know that interest was mutual. Romo has chosen broadcasting over playing, but if he moved forward as a quarterback, Romo says the Texans would have been his top choice. 
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“Obviously Houston was at the top of the list of teams that I looked at,” Romo told reporters on a conference call today.
Romo’s affinity for the Texans might not mean much right now, but it is perhaps something to file away in case we have a Brett Favre situation on our hands. Romo stressed that he could “play tomorrow” if he wanted to, so it sounds like we’ll be in for at least a couple of years of will he/won’t he speculation. When asked if this is really the end of the line, Romo said he’s “99%” retired and “never say never” to the possibility of a comeback. He also said that he’s probably healthier now than he was in 2014.
The former Cowboys QB “went back and forth many times” on playing versus retiring, but says he ultimately decided to transition to the booth because of the great opportunity presented by CBS. Only time will tell if Romo can be coaxed into playing again.
Cowboys Release Tony Romo
The Cowboys are releasing Tony Romo, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The move will be designated as a post-June 1 cut, allowing the Cowboys to disperse the cap hit over the next two seasons. The necessary paperwork has been sent in to the league office, Todd Archer of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link). 
“We wish Tony and his family nothing but the best,” said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in a statement. “As an organization, we did what he asked us to do in terms of his release, and we wanted to do what was ultimately in his best interest and in the best interest of his family. Tony has been a wonderful representative of the Cowboys organization for 14 years, and he left everything he had on the field. He will leave us with many great memories and a legacy of being, truly, one of the greatest players in Cowboys history. We are thrilled for him and his family that he will be able to continue working as a professional in the game he so dearly loves. He is a young man who is just getting started on a long journey in life. All the best my friend.”
As we learned on Tuesday morning, Romo is headed to CBS where he will take over for Phil Simms as the network’s No. 1 color commentator. Some expected Romo to file retirement paperwork, but this move by the Cowboys will contractually allow him to sign elsewhere at some point, if he chooses. From a cap standpoint, the outcome is roughly the same. But, technically, Romo will be free to return in a different uniform, and that will leave the door open to speculation.
Romo, 37 in April, has been through a myriad of injuries in recent years and his health was said to be a driving factor in his decision. Certainly, the opportunity that awaits him at CBS also helped to push him in this direction. Romo won’t be taking too much of a pay cut as he transitions to TV and, obviously, he won’t be risking the same kind of wear and tear to his body. The Cowboys reportedly will not go after his bonus money, so he’ll get to hold on to ~$5MM that the team could have theoretically withheld.
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Tony Romo To Sign With CBS
Rumors of Tony Romo landing with the Texans, Broncos, or some other team circulated for months before today’s news of his retirement. Apparently, Romo won’t be leaving us wondering for too long about his next career move. After also receiving serious interest from FOX, Romo has reached verbal agreement on a deal with CBS, according to John Ourand of Sports Business Daily.
Romo will be in the booth alongside play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz in the network’s “A-Team” package. That means that Romo will be calling CBS’ most important game of the week and will almost certainly be making the most money of any color analyst in the family. The arrival of Romo will displace Phil Simms and it’s not immediately clear whether he’ll remain with CBS in a different capacity.
Ourand hears that CBS offered more money than FOX and also a more prestigious position. FOX, apparently, wanted Romo to replace new 49ers GM John Lynch on their B-Team. Romo’s familiarity with the NFC would have made him a fit for FOX, but he would have been effectively blocked from moving up to the A-Team thanks to the presence of Troy Aikman. Aikman is just 50 years old and unlikely to retire anytime soon. Another plus to the CBS offer was the potential for Romo to eventually do some golf commentary, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Romo’s decision to step away from football makes a bit more sense when considering the salary and visibility that will come with the CBS job. Some in football seem to think that Romo could return to the Cowboys in the event of an injury, but he might not want to step away from one of the game’s best broadcasting gigs in order to do that.