Tony Romo Trade Rumors: Dallas Cowboys’ Quarterback To Be Traded, But Where And When? Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears Top List
The Dallas Cowboys’ season is over, now let the Tony Romo rumors begin. After the Cowboys’ 34-31 divisional playoff loss yesterday to the Green Bay Packers, you can bet that the rumors regarding the possibility of Tony Romo being dealt away this offseason will begin to pick up steam.
Dallas owner Jerry Jones has insisted over the past two months that he isn’t planning on trading his once star quarterback, however, it seems highly unlikely that the Cowboys will carry a backup QB that makes a boat load more cash than the starter.
Heading into the 2017 season, Spotrac indicates that Romo is scheduled to make a base salary of $14 million, with $5 million more in signing bonus money. On the other hand, Dak Prescott, who led the Cowboys to a NFC East title in his rookie season, will make just over $500k.
While that isn’t an uncommon salary for a player drafted in the fourth round, Prescott surprised everyone in the league, especially the Cowboys, by playing much better than your average rookie. Prescott has shown he has all of the skills to be the starter for the Cowboys for many years to come, which would certainly indicate that Dallas has to be thinking of what they can get for Romo this offseason.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported on Sunday that the Cowboys’ “No. 1 priority this offseason is trading Tony Romo. Barring retirement, which I understand is still a possibility for Romo, he is not going to want to be the Cowboys’ backup next season.”
Was asked about #Cowboys’ plans for Tony Romo in 2017. No secret, #Broncos are his No. 1 spot. I’m told DEN is not inclined to trade for him
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 15, 2017
So if Romo doesn’t retire, where would he end up in 2017?
Denver seems like the logical fit, but do the Broncos feel the same way?
“It’s no secret that his No. 1 spot would be the Denver Broncos, but from what I understand (trying to acquire Romo) is something the Broncos are not inclined to do,” Rapoport said. “Then you start to think about where can he go? Maybe the Bills, maybe the Bears, maybe the Texans. All of those things would have to be a perfect fit. And from the people I’m talking to, trading Tony Romo would be a lot harder immediately this offseason than anyone really anticipated.”
CBS Sports indicates that Rapoport may be correct when it comes to the Broncos lack of interest in Romo – at least via trade. While Romo has a short list of where he would like to land in 2017, the Broncos aren’t interested in trading for the veteran at this particular time.
Denver failed to make the playoffs this season, thus giving them no shot at defending their Super Bowl title. For Broncos fans, it was obvious why they failed to repeat as champions – lack of offensive power.
When Peyton Manning retired at the end of the 2015 season, the offense was supposed to be left for Brock Osweiler, who had been waiting in the wings for a few seasons. Osweiler surprised the Broncos by bolting to the Houston Texans before the 2016 season began, leaving Denver with two very young and inexperienced quarterbacks in Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch.
It seems to make sense for Denver to try to acquire Romo this offseason for many reasons. The youngsters could learn a lot from the veteran and Denver still has a Super Bowl-type defense and could be right back in the big game in 2018.
In his time with Dallas, Romo quickly became not only a fan favorite, but he also became a favorite of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. While Jones and Romo do have great admiration and respect for one another, Romo apparently has made it clear he has no interest in backing up Dak Prescott beyond this season.
If Romo isn’t traded to Denver, the Bears may have an inside track. Romo attended Eastern Illinois University and always refers to his time in the Windy City as a great one. Others on the possible Romo destination list include the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets.
[Featured Image by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images]
