Cowboys QB Tony Romo Retires From NFL
Tony Romo will retire from the NFL in order to begin a new career in broadcasting, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com writes. Romo has reportedly drawn interest from at least two of the league’s major television partners, but it’s not clear which network he’ll be joining. What we do know is that he won’t be taking the field for the start of the 2017 season. 
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Ultimately, Romo’s decision came down to health. After two lost seasons, Romo apparently did not feel good about the idea of taking the field for his age-37 season. The veteran has suffered collarbone and back injuries, including the compression fracture that opened the door for Dak Prescott in 2016.
This year, speculation was rampant that the Texans and Broncos would go hard after Romo. However, in recent weeks, we’ve been hearing that their interest has cooled. At minimum, both teams had decided that they would not be willing to trade for him, which makes sense given his enormous contract and Jerry Jones’ asking price, which was believed to be high. It’s not clear what each franchise would have been willing to offer Romo as a free agent, nor do we know if he would have been guaranteed a starting job in Week 1. That’s especially true in Denver, where the Broncos have two quality young QBs. For now, it’ll be Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch fighting for the job in Denver. Meanwhile, Houston as Tom Savage penciled in as the QB1 with Brandon Weeden as the understudy.
Dallas will be able to split Romo cap hit over two years without designating him as a post-June 1 release or even releasing him, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. If Romo officially retires on June 2 or later, they can take cap hits of $10.7MM in 2017 and $8.9MM in ’18 rather than one giant $24.7MM hit in the coming year. However, not everyone is convinced that Romo is done for good.
“Romo is now every teams emergency backup QB in case your starter gets hurt. [They can] pay him to come out of “retirement.’ ,” one anonymous team executive texted to Schefter (on Twitter).
Meanwhile, Jane Slater of NFL Network (Twitter link) hears from one source that it’s a soft retirement for Romo. If the Cowboys ever really needed him, he would consider a return. As CBS and FOX (and possibly NBC) vie for him, Romo may push for an opt-out clause that would allow him to come back to the NFL whenever he chooses.
Broncos, Texans Won’t Trade For Tony Romo
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has opened up the lines of communication for a Tony Romo deal to go down. So far, that has not spurred any action. The Broncos and Texans still will not trade for Romo, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Instead, it seems that both teams will wait to see if Romo is released by Dallas. From there, they can freely negotiate with Romo (if they choose) without sacrificing draft compensation. They should also be able to sign him at a cheaper rate that his current contract calls for.
Romo does not want to play out the season as Dak Prescott‘s backup it seems unlikely that Jones would force him to stay. That doesn’t leave the Cowboys with an awful lot of options. At this point, it’s the smart play for Denver and Houston to bide their time and see what happens. Even if Romo reaches the open market, the Broncos might not be willing to go all out for him given that they have two quality QBs already under contract.
Texans Not Interested In Tony Romo Trade?
Tony Romo has long been linked to the Texans, but it sounds as though the Texans do not want to trade for him. Or, at minimum, they are working hard to give off that impression. The Cowboys’ asking price remains too high for Houston’s liking and they are still not interested in working out a deal with Jerry Jones, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears. 
[RELATED: Cowboys Open Tony Romo Trade Talks]
With a talented defense already in place, a quality quarterback might be the team’s biggest need as they look to position themselves as contenders for 2017. As it stands, Tom Savage is the team’s No. 1 QB. Romo offers far more experience, but he also comes with injury concerns and a bloated contract. It’s also not clear what Jones is seeking in a trade and it’s possible he could place a premium on an intra-state swap. It would make sense for the Texans to have sincere interest in the veteran, but they might also be better served by waiting things out to see if Dallas might release him instead.
Lately, Broncos GM John Elway has been saying that he is content to go into the season with Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch as his top quarterbacks. In theory, that could leave the Texans as the most likely landing spot for Romo, but right now they are unwilling to play ball with the Cowboys.
Cowboys Open Tony Romo Trade Talks
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has notified all NFL GMs they are permitted to contact Tony Romo or his agent to schedule a workout, visit, or physical, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter links). However, Dallas informed clubs they are “limited to conversations concerning (Romo’s) 2017-19 NFL player contract,” in order to facilitate a trade. Jones, it appears, is trying to safeguard against a team negotiating a potential contract with Romo if he were to be released. 
[RELATED: Cowboys Notes: Safeties, Bell]
Lately, it’s been hard to get a read on what will happen with Romo. Early indications were that he would be released, allowing him to sign with a contending club like the Broncos or Texans. In recent weeks, Jones has apparently had a change of heart. The Cowboys first want to see if they can get something of substance in return for their longtime star. Romo also has serious interest from both CBS and FOX. CBS, apparently, is interested in giving him Phil Simms’ high-paying and prestigious job as the network’s top NFL color commentator.
Romo last played full-time during the 2014 season, when he completed a league-high 69.9% of his passes for 3,705 yards and 34 touchdowns against just nine interceptions. Romo has three years left remaining on his current deal, and an acquiring club would take on base salaries of $14MM, $19.5MM, and $20.5MM over the next three respective campaigns. A trade would also leave the Cowboys will roughly $20MM in dead money.
Cowboy Notes: Safeties, Bell
Safeties aren’t a priority in Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli‘s scheme, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, which could help explain why Dallas didn’t seriously attempt to re-sign Barry Church or J.J. Wilcox. Church landed a four-year, $26MM deal with the Jaguars, while Wilcox inked a two-year, $6.5MM pact with the Buccaneers. Former first-round pick Byron Jones, meanwhile, is signed for two more years (plus a fifth-year option), and could be an interesting “case study” as Dallas will be forced to consider handing a hefty contract to a safety, per Archer.
- Offensive lineman Byron Bell‘s one-year deal with the Cowboys has a base value of $2MM, reports Wilson (Twitter link). Bell, 28, will receive a $1MM base salary, a $250K signing bonus, and $300K in per-game roster bonuses. He can also earn another $450K through weight bonuses, which will immediately count on Dallas’ salary cap as likely-to-be-earned because they’re considered to be under the player’s control.
Jones: Zeke Incident "Not Good"
- Jerry Jones acknowledged the Ezekiel Elliott video that emerged via TMZ last month is “not good.” The video shows the Cowboys running back lowering a woman’s top on a float at a Dallas St. Patrick’s Day parade. “There is not much that I want to say other than that was unfortunate and not good,” Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News,” Jones said. “It wouldn’t be the right emphasis one way or the other to get into any communications or dialogue since that happened. … I wouldn’t want to say on communication, but I’m aware of the incident and I’m aware of the criticism.” Representatives of the 21-year-old Elliott expect him to be cleared of wrongdoing in a 2016 domestic violence case, but this incident adds to a growing list of off-the-field drama for the talented back.
Kellen Moore On Cowboys' 2016 QB Injuries
- Tony Romo won’t like this, but the injuries he and Cowboys backup quarterback Kellen Moore suffered last summer might have been “a little blessing in disguise,” Moore told 93.1-FM Idaho Sports Talk (via the Dallas Morning News). Both the broken bone in Romo’s back and Moore’s broken leg paved the way for the Dak Prescott era, and instead of acting as a caretaker as a rookie, he performed like a star for a 13-3 club. The Cowboys are now Prescott’s team as a result, leaving Romo’s future with the franchise in doubt. It’s unlikely he’ll be a Cowboy again next season, which could open the door for the recently re-signed Moore to serve as Prescott’s primary backup.
Cowboys Interested In T.J. Watt
- Wisconsin’s T.J. Watt, brother of Texans superstar J.J. Watt, is drawing interest from a bevy of teams and getting looks at various front seven positions. The younger Watt has lined up at outside linebacker, inside linebacker and along the defensive line in recent workouts. Watt told Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com that he has worked out for the Cowboys, Lions and Patriots in the past week. He’s scheduled to work out for the Panthers, too, and will visit the Cowboys’ and Redskins’ facilities soon.
Cowboys Draft Notes: Charlton, McKinley, King
- The Cowboys had two big-time defensive end prospects, Michigan’s Taco Charlton and UCLA’s Takkarist McKinley, in for visits, according to the Dallas Morning News. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com ranks both players among his top 25, though McKinley could be on the shelf until late in the summer after undergoing shoulder surgery. Dallas is also looking at Washington cornerback Kevin King, whom it worked out, relays Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). King has the makings of a Day 1 pick, so he could be a possibility for the Cowboys at No. 28.
Poll: Should An NFL Team Sign Greg Hardy?
Greg Hardy‘s stock is lower than we ever could have expected. An Indoor Football League team flirted with the idea of signing the defensive end, but opted against it after he did not pass a fan referendum. No one wants to go near the former Pro Bowler because of his unsettling history with domestic violence and perceived lack of accountability for said violence. Even when the Cowboys gave him a second chance in 2015, he was moody, lazy, and late to practice. It’s easy to understand why the NFL wants nothing to do with him and one can even understand the IFL’s hesitation in getting involved with him. 
Still, when he’s on the field, Hardy is a game-changing talent. Between 2011 and 2013, the former sixth-round pick averaged 56 tackles and 10 sacks per season season. Even in a down year with Dallas in 2015, he ranked as the league’s 28th-best edge defender out of 110 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus. At his worst, Hardy is a starting caliber defensive end and he won’t turn 29 until this summer.
Today, we borrow a page from the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles’ book and ask this of PFR readers: Would you want your favorite team to sign Hardy? Vote below and, if you want, explain your choice in the comments.