Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reportedly allowing other teams to contact Tony Romo
We’re now into Day 26 of the Tony Romo hostage standoff, and there has been some movement in the situation. The Dallas Cowboys apparently are allowing others to negotiate his freedom.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, other teams have been granted permission by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to contact Romo or his agent if they’re interested in his services for the 2017 season.
Jerry Jones notified all NFL GMs they are permitted to contact Tony Romo or his agent to schedule a workout, visit or physical, source says
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 3, 2017
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Romo said his goodbyes to Cowboys Nation last month when it appeared the team was set to release him. But Jones and Co. apparently had a change of heart, feeling that Romo might have had some trade value if there was more than one team — say, the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos, or perhaps others — were willing to throw a draft pick or a bag of balls their way.
But it remains clear that at this point, Jones is trying to trade Romo — until it’s obvious there’s no deal to be made, we assume.
Even if the Cowboys end up cutting Romo, they would designate him as a post-June 1 cut and in theory could drag this thing out as long as they please, even if the ousted starter is now a boat anchor on their salary cap. Jones might not be doing Romo any favors by hanging onto a player whom Jones has said is as close as kin, and Romo might like to know sooner rather than later what his options are — especially with a pregnant wife due to deliver their third child in August.
The Texans have traded Brock Osweiler and have only Tom Savage as a realistic starting option. The Broncos might be talking up their young QBs, but don’t close the door on them as a possible landing spot. There might even be a third team interested in the soon-to-be 37-year-old quarterback, who played one series last season after suffering a back injury and watched Dak Prescott take his starting job he held for more than a decade.
Jones promised to “do right” by Romo, and yet the owner also is trying to improve his team first. Will any club be willing to give up much in a trade for a player with a lengthy injury history and who might be on the metaphorical 18th tee of his playing career? We’re not sure. But NFL teams now can try to make their move, with Jones’ permission.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
