Dallas Cowboy fans and Dak Prescott can take a deep sigh of relief, as Tony Romo has announced his retirement from the game of football. The move allows Dallas to move on from the Romo-era, while assuring Jerry Jones is unable to make any rash decisions such as starting his pseudo-son over Dak. The decision was reported early Tuesday morning, with the long-time quarterback expected to take a broadcasting job with CBS.
Rumors swirled around Romo all off-season, as multiple borderline teams in need of a quarterback could have surely used his services. The Texans and the Broncos particularly seemed like solid destinations for the veteran, but in the end Romo calls it quits as the fourth highest rated passer in NFL history.
For the teams that were potentially looking to acquire Romo, it’s back to the drawing board. Houston seems content with trotting out a mediocre quarterback for every single year of their existence. Denver will hope that Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch develop into a semi-competent signal caller.
The Cowboys move forward with Dak, as they should. The young, under-drafted quarterback has successfully usurped Romo of his job, just like Romo did a decade ago from Drew Bledsoe. And the cycle continues.
There’s no definitive answer as to why a 36-year old quarterback that seemingly had a couple of seasons left in the tank chose to hang up his cleats this early. It could have been that Jones wasn’t willing to part ways with him, nixing any fair trade offers in search of a massive haul for a player that has played five total games over the last two seasons.
It might have been Romo not buying into any potential landing spots, feeling like a trip to Houston or Denver would end up being another early playoff exit. Romo could also be more hurt than many originally imagined, and he may figure that taking another season of brutal hits from defensive players would tear up his body beyond repair.
Or maybe Tony just couldn’t envision himself donning a helmet other than the one with a star on it. 14 seasons in Dallas will do that to you. Jerry Jones is the owner that gave an undrafted unknown from Eastern Illinois a chance to continue his football career, and the Cowboys are the team that believed in Romo throughout all of the playoff struggles and unwarranted criticism. Romo is a Cowboy, and he always will be.
Sources: ESPN, Pro-Football Reference, Verge Campus